British photojournalist Sir Donald McCullin remarked in a 2019 interview with Radio Times: “Many people, young people, tell me they want to become a war photographer. And I say … If you want to be a war photographer, there are plenty of social wars. There isn’t a city in England you can’t go to and find some poverty and unhappiness and tragedies.”
McCullin’s words resonate deeply in The 80s: Photographing Britain, currently on display at Tate Britain. Featuring over 350 images and archival materials, the exhibition explores how photographers responded to momentous socio-economic and political changes at the time. It also traces the evolution of photographic art – from conceptual approaches to the increasing use of colour – between 1976 and 1993.
Highlights include David Mansell’s portrait of Jayaben Desai, who led a strike at London’s Grunwick factory to protest unfair pay and conditions; John Harris and Brenda Prince’s documentation of the miners’ strikes; and Tish Murtha’s stark depiction of the lives of unemployed youth in Newcastle. Other works include Mumtaz Karimjee’s examination of the representation of Black and South Asian women in mainstream media, Roy Mehta’s vibrant portrayal of the multicultural community in London’s Brent borough, as well as Ingrid Pollard and Franklyn Rodgers’s documentation of several countercultural movements throughout the 1980s.
Whilst expansive in scope, the breadth of the presentation can feel overwhelming. Each theme could function as an in- dividual exhibition, allowing for a slower, more considered engagement with the images. Nevertheless, nearly 40 years later, the pictures reflect on issues – immigration, inequality and representation – that still resonate today. As McCullin’s “social wars” endure, modern-day counterparts emerge, documented not only by seasoned photographers but also by everyday citizens using smartphones. The exhibition ultimately poses the question: “How much has really changed?”
The 80s: Photographing Britain | Tate Britain, London | Until 5 May
tate.org.uk
Words: Shyama Laxman
Image credit:
1. Syd Shelton, Darcus Howe addressing the anti-racist demonstrators, Lewisham, 13 August 1977. Dated 1977, printed 2020. Tate: Presented by the artist 2021. © Syd Shelton.
2.Paul Trevor, Outside police station, Bethnal Green Road, London E2, 17 July 1978. Sit down protest against police racism. 1978 © Paul Trevor
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