WHAT? Peter Kennard: Archive of Dissent 

WHERE? Whitechapel Gallery, 77-82 Whitechapel High Street, London E1 7QX

WHEN? Now until 19th January 2025. Free to view 

WHY GO? For powerful political art.  Perhaps not the most uplifting of exhibitions, but certainly the most confrontational!  If you like art to make a bold statement about current affairs then this is unquestionably for you. 

Kennard is an activist and has illustrated his views in no uncertain terms for some fifty years and more, recording almost every protest that has popped up as newsworthy across the globe. 

From Greenham Common activists to the current climate catastrophe, it’s all there, in montages, paintings, collages and photographs with mind blowing clarity that invites the viewer to think long and hard. If you follow Banksy and Cold War Steve, then you get the gist. 

From the Seventies through the Eighties especially, Kennard hit the spot and was renowned for his photomontages which featured regularly in newspapers with ‘off the radar’ circulations.

This exhibition chronicles his work including his most recent installation, The People’s University of the East End (2014) which was the colloquial name for the gallery’s former Library space. 

He pays tribute to the library’s original purpose as a democratic local resource open for anyone to pick up a pamphlet or read the papers for free. 

His work may address some uncomfortable issues but sadly, there will always be alarming current affairs for artists to portray. 

IN THE KNOW  Peter Kennard’s work has appeared across the board in newspapers, galleries and museums as well as community centres and schools across the UK. He is currently Emeritus Professor of Political Art at the RCA.