After the End of History: British Working Class Photography 1989 – 2024

2024 marked 35 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall. A symbolic end to communism in central and eastern Europe, its destruction led economist Francis Fukuyama to declare this moment the ‘end of history’ with, in his view, liberal democracy now offering the only viable future of government.

Prior to the wall’s fall the 1980s had seen a significant counter cultural movement, a politically engaged generation of working class artists often powered by the alternative ideologies embodied by communism. But what became of working class culture after the ‘end of history’? What next for the working class creative? What are the images that embody working class life of the last 35 years?

After the End of History explores life through the lenses of working class artists, who have not only turned their gaze to their own communities, but also out towards the wider world. The result is a breadth of photographic work that not only celebrates contemporary working class life, championing its diversity and beauty, but also challenges perceptions of it, whilst offering a counterintuitive picture of our broader landscape.

Featured artists

Among the artists featured in this exhibition are Richard Billingham, Sam Blackwood, Serena Brown, Antony Cairns, Rob Clayton, Joanne Coates, Josh Cole, Artúr Čonka, Elaine Constantine, Natasha Edgington, Richard Grassick, Anna Magnowska, Rene Matić, J A Mortram, Kelly O’Brien, Eddie Otchere, Kavi Pujara, Khadija Saye, Chris Shaw, Trevor Smith, Ewen Spencer, Hannah Starkey, Igoris Taran, Nathaniel Télémaque, Barbara Wasiak and Tom Wood.

Partners

After the End of History: British Working Class Photography 1989 – 2024 was a Hayward Gallery Touring exhibition curated by Johny Pitts, in partnership with Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, Focal Point Gallery and Bonington Gallery.