A photographic exhibition exploring how acts of resistance have shaped life in the UK, and the powerful role of photography in documenting and driving change, opens at the Turner Contemporary gallery in Margate in February 2025. Conceived by artist and filmmaker Steve McQueen and curated in collaboration with Clarrie Wallis, Resistance promises to be ‘a compelling exploration of overlooked histories, shedding light on the forgotten stories of individuals whose actions have helped define Britain’s history’.

Covering a century of activism and drawing photographs from various archives, collections and image libraries, Resistance focuses on moments captured before digital cameras became commonplace and spans from the suffrage movement in 1903 to the largest-ever protest in Britain’s history—the Anti-Iraq War Protest in 2003.

The exhibition will highlight events including the Blind March of 1920—a pivotal moment in the fight for disability rights, and the hunger marches of the 1930s—protesting unemployment and poverty. It will explore the intersections between movements such as the Gay Liberation Front and the Women’s Liberation Movement, where protests against Section 28 of the Local Government Act brought the LGBTQ+ community together. Connecting historic struggles, the exhibition will also examine the fight against fascism in the 1930s and 1940s, including the Battle of Cable Street, while drawing parallels with the Battle of Lewisham in 1977.

Resistance will underscore the ongoing struggle against racism, showing how grassroots movements have consistently confronted oppression throughout history. A pivotal moment was the Black People’s Day of Action on 2 March 1981, following the house fire at 439 New Cross Road that claimed thirteen lives. The photographs that captured the protest powerfully depict this landmark for Britain’s Black civil rights movement. Paul Trevor’s series on the Bengali community in the East End will further illustrate how the emerging concept of community photography became a form of activism, amplifying the voices of marginalised groups.

The exhibition will bring together works by renowned photographers such as Vanley Burke, Henry Grant, Fay Godwin, Edith Tudor-Hart, Tish Murtha, Humphrey Spender, Christine Spengler, Andrew Testa, Paul Trevor and Janine Wiedel, alongside less-known photographers. It is the culmination of a four-year research project, guided by exhibition advisors Professor Sundari Anitha, Dr Diane Atkinson, Tony Baldwinson, Justin Bengry, Stella Dadzie, Professor Paul Gilroy, Professor Paul Jackson, Nicholas Jones, Professor Jenny Pickerill, Dr Matthias Reiss, Professor Lisa Tickner and Vron Ware.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a major publication also titled Resistance, compiled by Steve McQueen and edited by Clarrie Wallis with Sarah Harrison, to be released by 4th Estate on 13 February 2025. The book presents photographs from the exhibition, ranging from covert surveillance shots to iconic press images, along with firsthand accounts from witnesses of these pivotal historical moments. Expert analysis features contributions from Gary Younge, Steve McQueen, Paul Gilroy, and Baroness Chakrabarti.

Resistance runs from 22 February to 1 June 2025 at Turner Contemporary in Margate, Kent.