Early Work Exhibited in 'After the End of History: British Working Class Photography 1989 – 2024' curated by Johnny Pitt with Haywood Touring: Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, Coventry (29 March – 16 June 2024); Focal Point Gallery, Southend-on-Sea (3 July – 14 September 2024); Bonington Gallery, Nottingham (27 September – 15 December 2024)

Billingham, Richard ORCID: 0000-0002-6474-5656 (2024) Early Work Exhibited in 'After the End of History: British Working Class Photography 1989 – 2024' curated by Johnny Pitt with Haywood Touring: Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, Coventry (29 March – 16 June 2024); Focal Point Gallery, Southend-on-Sea (3 July – 14 September 2024); Bonington Gallery, Nottingham (27 September – 15 December 2024). [Show/Exhibition]

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Abstract

Early work from Billingham's photographic series 'Ray's a Laugh' was exhibited in 'After the End of History: British Working Class Photography 1989 – 2024' curated by Johnny Pitt, Haywood Touring Exhibition: Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, Coventry (29 March – 16 June 2024); Focal Point Gallery, Southend-on-Sea (3 July – 14 September 2024) and Bonington Gallery, Nottingham (27 September – 15 December 2024) The year 2024 marked 35 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the symbolic end of Communism. For economist Francis Fukuyama, writing in the early 1990s, this celebrated triumph of Western Liberal Democracy as the only viable future for global politics represented the “End of History”. The counter-cultural energies of the 1980s, very often powered up by the alternative ideologies embodied by Communism, and a reaction against Thatcherism, produced a collective, coherent and politically engaged generation of working-class artists. But after the so-called “End of History” was announced in the 1990s, what became of working-class culture and the working class creative? What kind of images has working-class life produced in the last 35 years? After The End of History aimed to illuminate these questions. Johny Pitts, Curator of After the End of History, said:“Developing a show with Hayward Gallery Touring, which pieces together complex and counterintuitive expressions of working class life through the lens, has been a deeply enriching process. I hope the extraordinary work included offers not only a celebration of the craft and creativity of working class practitioners, but also engages, surprises and inspires a working class audience, and anyone interested in art against-the-odds.” Brian Cass, Senior Curator, Hayward Gallery Touring, said: “Thanks to the insights and passion of curator Johny Pitts, After the End of History offers a portrayal of working-class culture that doesn’t conform to expectation. It features a fascinating range of artists whose visually compelling images challenge the ideals of classic documentary photography while also saying something vital about class, community and creativity. We are delighted to be working with our exhibition partners on this project and we hope the exhibition offers audiences a thoughtful, relevant and affirming celebration of working-class creativity.” Hayward Gallery Touring is the UK’s largest contemporary art organisation producing exhibitions that tour Britain.

Item Type:	Show/Exhibition
Subjects:	N Fine Arts > N Visual arts (General) For photography, see TR
Divisions:	Schools and Research Institutes > School of Creative Arts
Research Priority Areas:	Creative Practice and Theory
Depositing User:	Richard Billingham
Date Deposited:	18 Dec 2023 10:49
Last Modified:	18 Dec 2023 10:49
URI:	https://eprints.glos.ac.uk/id/eprint/13571

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