Autograph ABP, previously known as the Association of Black Photographers, is a British-based international, non-profit-making, photographic arts agency.

History

Autograph was originally established in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

in 1988. Founders included the photographers Sunil Gupta, Monika Baker, Merle Van den Bosch,

Pratibha Parmar Pratibha Parmar is a British writer and filmmaker. She makes feminist documentaries such as '' Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth'' (2014) and '' My Name Is Andrea'' (2022). Early life and education Parmar was born in Nairobi, Kenya, to Indian paren ...

, Ingrid Pollard,

Roshini Kempadoo Roshini Kempadoo (born Crawley, Sussex, England, 1959) is a British photographer, media artist, and academic. For more than 20 years she has been a lecturer and researcher in photography, digital media production, and cultural studies in a varie ...

Armet Francis Armet Francis (born 29 January 1945) is a Jamaican-born photographer and publisher who has lived in London, England, since the 1950s. He has been documenting and chronicling the lives of people of the African diaspora for more than 40 years and h ...

and

Rotimi Fani-Kayode Rotimi Fani-Kayode (20 April 1955 – 21 December 1989), born Oluwarotimi Adebiyi Wahab Fani-Kayode, was a Nigerian photographer who at the age of 11 moved with his family to England, fleeing from the Biafran War. A seminal figure in British con ...

, as the Association of Black Photographers. Through a programme of advocacy, exhibitions and publication, Autograph went on to assist in the career development of a number of black and "culturally diverse" photographers, including Faisal Abdu'Allah,

Gayle Chong Kwan Gayle Chong Kwan (born 1973) is a London-based artist whose large-scale photographic, installation, and video work has been exhibited and published internationally. She is known for her large-scale mise-en-scene environments and photographs, c ...

, Roshini Kempadoo and

Yinka Shonibare Yinka Shonibare (born 9 August 1962), is a British artist living in the United Kingdom. His work explores cultural identity, colonialism and post-colonialism within the contemporary context of globalisation. A hallmark of his art is the bright ...

. In 1991

Mark Sealy Mark Sealy (born 1960) is a British curator and cultural historian with a special interest in the relationship of photography to social change, identity politics and human rights. In 1991 he became the director of Autograph ABP, the Associati ...

became the director of the organisation. In 2002, the board changed the name to "Autograph ABP". In 2007, the organisation moved into its new home

Rivington Place Rivington Place is a purpose-built international visual arts centre in Shoreditch, London. Origins and history Rivington Place was commissioned by two publicly funded visual arts organisations, Iniva and Autograph ABP, with the intention of es ...

, which it shared with

Iniva Iniva (which was formerly written as inIVA) is the Institute of International Visual Art, a visual arts organisation based in London that collaborates with contemporary artists, curators and writers. Iniva runs the Stuart Hall Library, and is b ...

. Renowned Cultural Studies theorist Stuart Hall served as chair on the boards of both organisations. Currently, the honorary patrons of Autograph ABP are

David Lammy David Lindon Lammy FRSA (born 19 July 1972) is a British politician who has served as Foreign Secretary since July 2024. A member of the Labour Party, he has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Tottenham since 2000. Lammy previously held vario ...

MP, Professor

Catherine Hall Catherine Hall (born 1946) is a British academic. She is Emerita Professor of Modern British Social and Cultural History at University College London and chair of its digital scholarship project, the Centre for the Study of the Legacies of B ...

Lola Young Lola Young may refer to: * Lola Young, Baroness Young of Hornsey, born 1951 *Lola Young (singer) Lola Emily Mary Young (born 4 January 2001) is a British singer and songwriter from London. She is best known for her viral 2024 hit " Messy", her fi ...

(Baroness Young of Hornsey) OBE, and

Henry Louis Gates Jr Henry Louis Gates Jr. (born September 16, 1950), popularly known by his childhood nickname "Skip", is an American literary critic, professor, historian, and filmmaker who serves as the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and the director of t ...

. In 2008, Autograph received a grant of £660,500 from the

Heritage Lottery Fund The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom. History The fund's predecessor bodies were ...

(HLF) to "preserve the history of culturally diverse Britain through photography".

Role

Today, Autograph continues to develop, exhibit and publish the work of photographers and artists from culturally diverse backgrounds and to act as an advocate for their inclusion in mainstream areas of exhibition, publishing, training, education and commerce. Autograph produces its own programme of activities, as well as collaborating with other arts organisations nationally and internationally, such as the

Liverpool Biennial Liverpool Biennial is the largest international contemporary art festival in the United Kingdom. Since its launch in 1998, Liverpool Biennial has commissioned over 380 new artworks and presented work by over 530 artists from around the world. ...

. It also sees itself as playing a role in the advocacy of human rights worldwide, hosting exhibitions on the subjects of Roma/Gypsy peoples in Europe, as well as the photographic legacy of lynching in the US. Regular (annual) funding for Autograph is provided by

Arts Council England Arts Council England is an arm's length non-departmental public body of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Department for Culture, Media and Sport. It is also a registered charity. It was formed in 1994 when the Arts Council o ...

References

External links

* {{Authority control Arts in the United Kingdom Black British history British photography organisations Black British photographers Black British culture in London 1988 establishments in the United Kingdom Arts organizations established in 1988