Lorenz Klingebiel

The 80s – Photographing Britain traces critical developments in photographic art in the UK, made by a diverse range of photographers in and around the Thatcher era (1976–1993). Rather than presenting a comprehensive history, the publication showcases more than 70 lens-based artists, and reveals numerous small histories, known and unknown, presented by a constellation of image makers, photography journals, photographer collectives, and theorists. Close attention is paid to the intersection between photography and the British Black arts movement, and to the theoretical developments in photography and representation from the perspectives of postmodernism and cultural theory by British scholars from the period.

With works by Keith Arnatt, Zarina Bhimji, Sutapa Biswas, Tessa Boffin, Marc Boothe, Victor Burgin, Vanley Burke, Pogus Ceasar, Thomas Joshua Cooper, John Davies, Poulomi Desai, Al-An deSouza, Willie Doherty, Jason Evans, Rotimi Fani-Kayode, Anna Fox, Simon Foxton, Armet Francis, Peter Fraser, Melanie Friend, Paul Graham, Ken Grant, Joy Gregory, Sunil Gupta, John Harris, Lyle Ashton Harris, David Hoffmann, Pam Isherwood, Colin Jones, Mumtaz Karimjee, Roshini Kempadoo, Peter Kennard, Chris Killip, Karen Knorr, Sirkka-Liisa Konttinen, Grace Lau, Dave Lewis, Markéta Luskačová, David Mansell, Jenny Matthews, Rosy Martin, Don McCullin, Roy Mehta, Peter Mitchell, Dennis Morris, Maggie Murray, Tish Murtha, Joanne O‘Brien, Zak Ové, Martin Parr, Ingrid Pollard, Brenda Prince, Gordon Rainsford, Samena Rana, Paul Reas, Olivier Richon, Suzanne Roden, Franklyn Rodgers, Paul Seawright, Syd Shelton, Jem Southam, Jo Spence, John Sturrock, Maud Sulter, Homer Sykes, Mitra Tabrizian, Wolfgang Tillmans, Paul Trevor, Maxine Walker, Albert Watson, Tom Wood and Ajamu X

The eponymous exhibition ran at Tate Britain from 21 November 2024 until 5 May 2025.