The 80s: Photographing Britain

The 1980s in the United Kingdom was a decade coloured by conflict and change; the Troubles in Northern Ireland, the AIDS pandemic and the miners’ strikes were just some of the issues that contributed to widespread upheaval. In this exhibition at Tate Britain, more than 350 era-defining images and archival materials capture the experience of the ‘Thatcher years’, revealing how photography emerged as a tool for activism and social change for photographers, collectives and publications (21 November–5 May 2025). Striking images of political events, including John Harris’s photographs of the Orgreave miners’ strike in 1984, are joined by more subdued works that depict underrepresented communities, such as Roy Mehta’s series Revival, London (1989–93). The exhibition also delves into developments in the medium itself, and takes in the wave of experimental fashion photographers working at the turn of the 1990s.

Find out more from the Tate’s website.
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Untitled photograph, subject styled by Simon Foxton, from the series Strictly (1991) by Jason Evans. © Jason Evans

Friendly Fire, target (Margaret Thatcher) (1989), Anna Fox. © the artist

Photograph from the Revival, London series (1989–93), Roy Mehtu. Photo: courtesy of the artist and L A Noble Gallery