ROCK AGAINST RACISM EXHIBITION TRAVELS TO JOENSUU

The Finnish Institute in London is delighted to bring the Rock Against Racism photography exhibition to Joensuu's main library in the beginning of July to 5 August 2017. The Institute brought the exhibition to Finland and Helsinki's Tiketti Galleria for the first time in June 2016.

Rock Against Racism was an influential social campaign in Great Britain between 1976-1981. The movement channeled the dissatisfaction of rock musicians and artists towards the racist atmosphere in society.

Photographer Syd Shelton (b. 1947, UK) captured the different stages of the movement through his photography, which he called “graphic arguments”. Shelton’s iconic pictures were exhibited at London’s Autograph ABP gallery in the autumn of 2015. The exhibition received a warm welcome both from the public and the media as Shelton’s graphic arguments are still very relevant in contemporary Europe. Rock Against Racism is curated by Mark Sealy at Autograph ABP and Professor Carol Tulloch, University of the Arts London.

“In the Rock Against Racism movement we wanted to make antiracism popular and to point out the whole absurdity of racism. We were all very different and had different political views. The unity of it all was that we were all very committed anti-racists and all loved music”, Shelton says.

According to Shelton, the movement united artists and activists to work together towards a common goal. The artists who joined the movement and were documented in Shelton's photographs include The Clash, Elvis Costello, Misty in Roots, Tom Robinson, Au Pairs and The Specials.

Exhibition is open to public from the first week of July (TBC) - 4.8. at Joensuu main library's Muikku-sali.

More on the exhibition and Syd Shelton here