Beyond Documentary: Experimental Photography in London 1976-2006

Since the 1970s, photographers have increasingly asked questions about the nature of the medium and the role of the photographer in the construction of the image. Women artists have been particularly active in this, as photography provides a way of working distinct from the traditionally masculine art forms of painting and sculpture.

The photographs in this exhibition are a selection from a three-year collecting project. The museum’s aim was to acquire the work of artists who make photographs about London using experimental tactics. Their approaches involve examining social issues through carefully set-up compositions or by placing prints in a narrative sequence. Others study closely a particular locality over a sustained period of time or record it by pushing against the technical constraints of photography. All, in their different ways, have produced rich bodies of work through prolonged engagement with the city.

This display is part of the Collecting Cultures project, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund. Works acquired with the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund, Art Fund and Arts Council England/Victoria and Albert Museum Purchase Grant Fund.