Photograph exhibition in Coventry looks back at working class lives

Published date18 April 2024
Publication titleCoventry Telegraph
The stunning photography exhibition, titled 'After the End of History: British Working Class Photography 1989 2024', has been launched at the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum and will be on display until June 16 before it embarks on a nationwide tour

This free exhibition, curated by writer and broadcaster Johny Pitts in collaboration with Hayward Gallery Touring, brings together photographs that capture modern life across the varied cultures which have shaped the British working class identity in the 35 years following the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The exhibition combines unique perspectives and recognisable counter-cultural imagery to showcase the evolution of the working class after Francis Fukuyama's controversial claim that the triumph of Western Liberal Democracy over Communism in 1989 represented the 'End of History'.

Johny commented: "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 againstthe-odds. 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."

The Neoliberal politics associated with the End of History, rather than stifling cultural expression and alternative views in the UK, sparked a reaction against Thatcherism in the 1980s that gave rise to a politicallyengaged generation of working class artists.

Among the showcased works are Rene Matic's portrait depicting her experiences growing up mixed race in a...

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