The number of photographic artworks on our site has been boosted by a new partnership with visual arts charity Autograph, making over 100 photographs of Britain's diverse communities available for anyone to view.
Autograph's important collection of photographs exploring race and identity will now be seen by new audiences online, in schools and outdoors. Our collaboration includes the release of a free learning resource for schools – 'Seeing differently' – and an outdoor display at Autograph's gallery in London.
The collection addresses gaps in the visual representation of Britain's cultural history and its diverse communities, with artworks exploring race, identity, representation, human rights and social justice. Among the 123 artworks are photographs by Yinka Shonibare CBE, Joy Gregory, Colin Jones, Ingrid Pollard and more. Highlights from the collection are also currently being displayed on the side of Autograph's gallery in London's Shoreditch area, exploring how photography can reflect on acts of 'seeing' and 'being seen'.
Andrew Ellis, Chief Executive of Art UK, says that Autograph is a key addition to the small, but growing, number of photography collections on the site. 'We are proud to bring such an important collection onto the Art UK platform, making works by such influential artists as Ingrid Pollard, Sunil Gupta and Poulomi Desai available for everyone to discover,' he says. 'Autograph has already proved to be a valuable partner to Art UK, and we are also delighted to be publishing a fabulous learning resource exploring works in its collection.'
A new teaching resource for secondary schools is now also available for teachers via our Learn pages. It aims to encourage pupils to think deeply about how they read photographs and how their interpretation might depend on their lived experience and identity. It was developed with artists Daniel Regan and Ella Phillips in partnership with Eastbrook School, Halley House School, Randal Cremer Primary School, Riverely Primary, Stoke Newington School and Thomas Tallis School, with support from Art UK and Art Fund.
Katie Leonard, Head of Learning at Art UK says: 'Created in collaboration with Autograph, our latest resource 'Seeing differently: learning together through photographs' explores storytelling and initiates conversations on race and representation. In light of the Runnymede Trust's 'Visualise' report highlighting a lack of diversity in art education, it's crucial to make resources like Autograph's accessible. It is important that our learning programme can showcase diverse artists and their work connecting cultural identity and place.'
Professor Mark Sealy OBE is the Director of Autograph, and says that throughout its 35-year history, it has collected and preserved the work of artists who use photography to explore issues of cultural identity, representation, human rights and social justice. 'The collection serves as a means to address the gaps and omissions in photographic history, and Britain's visual culture,' he says. 'Our partnership with Art UK marks a step forward to broaden the reach of Autograph's collection. I am delighted that more than 100 photographs are now accessible to view on Art UK, providing an opportunity to engage with new audiences and spark critical dialogues.'
