Portrait of Black Britain

Cephas Williams' powerful photography exhibition documenting contemporary Black Britain returns to Manchester, exploring what it means to be Black living in the UK. About In Portrait of Black Britain, Cephas Williams explores the question: 'What does it mean to be Black, living in the UK?' The exhibition profiles a range of Black people living in the UK, highlighting the different roles people play in our community. Focusing not just on high-profile people and success stories but on as many people from as wide a range of society as possible, Portrait of Black Britain aims to make more Black people visible and to offer the next generation and wider society a holistic picture of the African diaspora in the UK and the 21st century. From the creator of 56 Black Men, Letter to Zion and the Black Network, the exhibition is part of a project that will ultimately lead to Williams building a significant large-scale photographic archive of Black people living in the UK. Portrait of Black Britain was originally commissioned for Manchester International Festival 2021. 116 portraits, many spotlighting people from Greater Manchester, were shown in the Arndale Centre. It was created at a time when candid conversations and dialogue about the Black community were taking a long-overdue centre stage globally, following the murder of George Floyd. In response, Portrait of Black Britain centralised Black-led representation on what it meant to be Black in the UK at that moment. Now Portrait of Black Britain returns to the city – this time at Aviva Studios – bringing together faces from Manchester and beyond. Since MIF commissioned the exhibition in 2021, it's been great to see how many people have resonated with the work. Revisiting the photographs and exhibition has been both nostalgic and enriching, and sharing it once again at the new home of Factory International offers audiences an opportunity to experience the scale and significance of the project in a new way. I think of the child who experienced Portrait of Black Britain for the first time in 2021 and how much can change in 5 years. Someone who was 5 is now 10; someone who was 15 is now 20. I often wonder how the exhibition may have inspired kids and adults alike, encouraging someone to pick up a camera or bring an idea they've had to life; as well as how this portrait series introduces its viewer to what it means to be Black through a positive and powerful lens. Read more Toggle Photography