Every now and again you come across something that is truly worth shouting out about. One such recent example is a fabulous photography exhibition at the Manchester Art Gallery. "Strange and Familiar" is a collection of photographs by international photographers who in their work and according to the programme, "have captured the social, cultural and political identity of the UK". Those featured are amongst the best and most famous in the world including Henri Career-Bresson, Bruce Gilden, Gerry Winogrand, Robert Frank, Sergio Larrain and Bruce Davidson. The exhibition itself is curated by Martin Parr, one of the leading visual chroniclers of British life.
It is a relatively large exhibition and I have already paid two visits and am planning my third! Within the genre, the selection is eclectic and demonstrates to me the wonderful and multifarious ways that photographers see and interpret the world. The selection takes us through the decades and portrays what would be difficult to describe in words, but in pictures captures what can only be described as quintessential Britishness. There are documentary pictures of sweetshops in the early 1980s, some great images from the City of London in the 1960s, a poignant picture of a blood stained pavement in Northern Ireland from the time of the troubles and some images of the throng eagerly watching the Coronation of King George VI.
Many are cliches - but that is part of their charm and obviously represent scenes that grabbed the imagination and attention of the photographers. The exhibition was originally aired at the Barbican Centre in London in 2016.
The bookshop in the Gallery has some excellent anthologies on sale including a full catalogue of the exhibition and don't forget the excellent scones, cakes and coffee in the cafe. I would heartily recommend it. The best thing of all is that it is free. More details below.
http://manchesterartgallery.org/exhibitions-and-events/exhibition/strange-and-familiar