PAST EXHIBITIONS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THEN AND THERE – HERE AND NOW by Peter Anderson

1st – 29th September

Peter Anderson’s early work records a rarely-seen alternative 80s. Working closely with his subjects – many of whom have since become household names – his photographs capture the energy of an era when music, fashion and politics first collided. It is a time that is still deeply influential today.

Anderson’s huge, five foot by four foot photographic prints currently sell alongside works by Warhol, Basquiat and Banksy. They reflect a fascination with what is now called “Urban Art” that started when the Royal College funded his first trip to New York, where he made iconic images of early hip-hop street style.

Then and There, Here and Now includes portraits – some never before seen – made while Anderson was a staff photographer at New Musical Express. The subjects represent a who’s who of music, including Madonna, Iggy Pop, Mick Jagger, Tom Waits, Run DMC, Marvin Gaye, Paul Weller and Blur’s Damon Albarn. A young Bono stands with fists raised, ready to take on the world as it turned out. The Clash’s late Joe Strummer gazes intently into the lens in a haunting portrait taken on London train tracks.

Anderson’s work is concerned with energy, often translated into movement. Far from the careful, artful poses that often characterise the image-conscious 80s, these spontaneous shots reveal the sheer vitality of the era. In retrospect it becomes a blur of ideas.

PYMCA – StreetStyle BY Ted Polhemus

“Streetstyle is my sartorial bible” –  Chloe Sevigny in The New York Times.

Without the original Hipsters, Teddy Boys, Rockabillies, Rude Boys, Mods,Punks, B-Boys, Ravers, Harajuku Girls – and all the other streetstyle
originals – most of us would be left without anything to wear. But the sharp suits, leather jackets, jeans, kaftans, slick locks and so forth are only the visible, tangible part of this legacy. Oozing through the clothes, hairstyles, make-up and accessories is an attitude. An attitude which perhaps more than any other set the tone of life in the second half of the twentieth century and which shows no sign of dissipating in the twenty-first.

First published in 1994, Streetstyle: from sidewalk to catwalk has been a revelation right from its launch at London’s renowned V&A Museum. Streetstyle has been distributed internationally, translated into 3 languages and sold over 30,000 copies, now becoming a massively popular collector’s item.

The fully updated edition will feature nearly 100 extra pages with 5 new chapters, including over 250 compelling images, all packed into 224 devilishly stylish pages.

The Streetstyle exhibition and book launch will feature images from the book as well as will host a series of talks and discussions with Ted and special guests about the past, present and future of Street Style.

PYMCA has become renowned for its street culture exhibitions, showcasing images from their extensive archive. Having already celebrated subcultures of Rave, Skinheads, Hip Hop and theTaboo club scenes; their most recent exhibition Unordnary People was held at London’s legendary Royal Albert Hall and was the venue’s most popular exhibition of 2009.

April 2010 saw the launch of the new PYMCA website and PYMCA Cultural Research. PYMCA’s spectacular imagery collection is now complemented by extensive research texts from respected authors including Ted Polhemus and King Adz, plus a collaboration with Frank Broughton and Bill Brewster from DJhistory.com. It is further bolstered by the inclusion of video content from the BBC Motion Gallery and has also hundreds of links to external content. This unique youth culture resource has been over ten years in the making and is now be accessible, on a subscriber basis, to consumers, educational establishments and businesses alike. Http://www.pymca.com

Andy Willsher – The Black and White Collection

4TH NOVEMBER – 31ST DECEMBER

Growing up in Bedford, England, amongst like-minded music enthusiasts Andy Willsher was strongly influenced by David Bowie as well as pretty much all of the Goth bands of the late 80’s at the time. Luckily for Andy there was a small music venue in town where most of the [Goth] bands played. ‘The perfect scenario’ I thought; “I’ll go along and take some pictures. So the likes of ‘Ghostdance’, ‘Zodiac Mindwarp’, ‘Fields of ‘The Nephilim’ (and many more people dressed in black throwing flour everywhere) started my portfolio”. Andy decided to ignore college and get a real job so he could afford the next Canon model he had been craving. Whilst working at Barclays Bank in the West End, Andy took a holiday to follow a band called ‘The Hollow Men’ around the far reaches of Scotland and Ireland. “I decided from that point that this was the life for me. One step further down the line I was working in my local camera shop to try and gain some knowledge. I think it was around this time I started printing up my own pictures and sending them to the music press in the vain hope they’d want to use one”.

Finally that time did arrive and after a few shots had been published, Andy then got a phone call from NME Towers; ‘Do you fancy shooting ‘The Family Cat’ at a school in Crewe?’. Andy continues to photograph for NME, his credits includes Jeff Buckley, Arthur Lee, U2, White Stripes and many more iconic bands/artists.

Andy’s work has captured the music culture of our times and this exhibition celebrates his 20 years in music and in photography – standing next to the other photographers who inspired him, such as, Anton Corbijn, Ellen Von Unworth, Pennie Smith and Mick Rock.