Home is Not a Place
Home is Not a Place, a new exhibition and book, reflects on Black British culture, people and geographies, exploring the notion of home.
by spectrum
New photographic exhibition Home is Not a Place reflects on Black British culture, people and geographies.
In 2021, Johny Pitts and Roger Robinson circumnavigated the British coast in a bid to answer the question: ‘What is Black Britain?’.
The resulting project, presented as an exhibition and book, explores the notion of home.
“My photographic practice involves trying to celebrate Black spaces, capture them while they’re still here and give them a home,” says Pitts, a photographer and writer.
“If not in a literal sense in a figurative sense, for me home is somewhere that you take with you.”
A coastal journey
Driving a red Mini Cooper, Pitts and Robinson travelled clockwise around the coast, encompassing the coastal, urban, rural, suburban and all the places in-between.
They journeyed from Margate to Land’s End, Bristol to Blackpool, Glasgow to John O’Groats and Scarborough to Southend on Sea.
The pair set out to document and respond to the many manifestations of Black British culture and present an alternative to the official and media narratives.
The complexity of Black Britishness
A self-taught photographer, working in the tradition of British documentary photography, Pitts was supported by the inaugural Ampersand/Photoworks Fellowship.
He worked closely with the Photoworks team for 12 months to allow him to develop this new series.
Pitts built upon his ‘Afropean Archive’ of more than 100,000 images documenting the Black experience in Europe.
The images which form Home is Not a Place reflect upon the complexity and resilience of Black Britishness at this particular point in time.
A touring exhibition started in Pitts’ hometown of Sheffield.
A new book combines his photographs with poems by T.S. Eliot Prize awardee Robinson.
Home is Not a Place
Home is Not a Place is on show at Graves Gallery, Sheffield Museums until December 24.
It will go on display at Stills Gallery, Edinburgh, from March 9 to June 10 2023.
The book, published by Harper Collins, is on sale now. Order your copy here.
Spectrum Photographic is the print sponsor, producing C-type Matt prints for the show.
Ampersand/Photoworks Fellowship
Launched in 2021, the Ampersand/Photoworks Fellowship is a new biennial research and development opportunity for mid-career artists using photography.
The fellowship offers a substantial bursary with access to a production budget, a mentorship programme, a series of events, and a national touring exhibition.