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A person stands behind a large tree with a split trunk, their face and arms visible through the gap. They look towards the camera with a neutral expression in a wooded setting.

Side Gallery reopens with Childhoods exhibition

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Date
7 October 2016

London’s Side Gallery — the only photography venue in the UK devoted to documentary — has reopened after a £1.67 million investment from Heritage Lottery Fund and Art Council England with Chilldhoods, a show featuring the work of twelve photographers and filmmakers.

Side Gallery was opened in 1977 by a photography and film collective started nearly a decade before to celebrate humanist documentary photography. The inaugural show Childhoods is “a complex portrait of children’s imaginative lives, the contexts they deal with, their concerns and their resilience”. It straddles four continents, with photography and film work from Wendy Ewald, Tish Murtha, Sirkka-Liisa Konttinen, Chris Killip, Lesley McIntyre, Dean Chapman, Duco Tellegen, Karen Robinson, Julian Germain, James Mollison, Kai Wiedenhöfer and Liz Hingley selected from exhibitions, publications and film projects over the last three decades. See a small selection from the compelling show below.

A diptych featuring a portrait of a person with red paint across their chest and a shot of a rustic interior. The room has brick walls, a thatched roof, and clothes hanging from a line.
Above

James Mollison: Brazil Ahkohxet

A diptych featuring a portrait of a person with curled sidelocks wearing a white shirt. Beside it, a small bedroom with green walls contains a white wardrobe and three stacked blue beds.
Above

James Mollison: Israel Tzvika

A child wearing a ballet tutu stands in a living room, looking back over their shoulder. In the background, a person reclines in an armchair, watching them.
Above

Liisa Konttinen: Tanya and her grandfather

A person with an afro hairstyle sits on a leather sofa, looking down. A child rests their head on the person's lap, looking towards the camera.
Above

Liisa Konttinen: Carmen Decker and her mum Diana

A person laughs with their mouth open while playing a large bass drum. They are joined by two other people standing on a grassy area in front of a brutalist apartment block.
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Tish Murtha: Chieftains Training Cruddas Park

A shirtless child wearing a hat and dark trousers stands against a weathered wooden wall. They hold a long stick, pointing it towards white graffiti that reads “Keith Haring?”.
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Tish Murtha: Maia Anderson

A person stands atop the back of a worn sofa placed on a grassy verge. They wear a white sweatshirt and a baseball cap, looking towards the camera. Another person sits on the sofa, leaning forward and looking away. In the background, suburban houses stand behind a wooden fence.
Above

Dean Chapman: Shifting Ground

A black and white photo of a child standing next to a white horse on a residential street. The child wears a tracksuit and holds a cigarette to their lips.
Above

Dean Chapman: Shifting Ground

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About the Author

Bryony Stone

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Bryony joined It's Nice That as Deputy Editor in August 2016, following roles at Mother, Secret Cinema, LAW, Rollacoaster and Wonderland. She later became Acting Editor at It's Nice That, before leaving in late 2018.

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