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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Nancy Durrant

The 80s: Photographing Britain at Tate Britain review – a lot of good work but ultimately a bewildering experience

Darcus Howe addressing the anti-racist demonstrators, Lewisham, 13 August 1977 by Syd Shelton - (Syd Shelton)

The Eighties were a febrile time in Britain, unfolding against a backdrop of rising unemployment and financial rapaciousness; the Miners Strike and an emboldened National Front; the AIDS epidemic and Section 28.

Photographers, whether focused on documentary or pushing the boundaries of fine art, were keenly capturing and commenting on the decade’s societal shifts, often in the face of mainstream media resistance.

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