Guest Speaker Vanley Burke

Wow, we actually have Vanley Burke coming along! Yes the man often described as the Godfather of Black British Photography is coming to Willfield. This guy has exhibited in the V&A museum! Tell your friends and their friends and get them to come along-we will be in the big hall-and they are welcome for just £3.50. Vanley will be talking about his career in photography which will make for a very interesting evening.  Here’s a bit more about our VERY special guest this evening:

His iconic images have captured the evolving cultural landscape, social change, and stimulated debate in the United Kingdom over the past four decades. He draws strength from remaining a humble man of the community, whose personable character allows him to capture the intimate and private nature of people’s everyday lives.

Photo by Martin James, Newport Photographic Club

His body of work represents possibly the largest photographic record of the Caribbean Diaspora in Britain, and as an avid collector, Vanley continues to connect histories through his substantial archive housed at the Library of Birmingham. From local community organisations to the Victoria & Albert Museum and Whitechapel, Vanley has exhibited widely in the United Kingdom, and as far afield as New York, South Africa and China.

Vanley’s artistic enquiry is not simply limited to black and white documentary photography, as his eccentric rebellious nature lends itself to sculpture and painting, and crafting art that gives life a shape. His simple motivation has been the preservation of culture and history through creation, documentation, and discovery which often leaks into the private.