Lives in Focus - Sheffield Museums Trust

Left to right:

A photograph of a the head and unclothed upper body of a man holding a mask of African heritage and wearing a a floral headdress

A black and white photograph of a woman with her back to the camera with her hand raised and covering the side of her face.

A photograph showing a rural landscape. In the foreground two people sit in folding chairs next to a road and a parked car.

A photograph showing a rural landscape. In the foreground two people sit in folding chairs next to a road and a parked car.

L-R: Rotimi Fani-Kayode, Adebiyi, 1989© the artist. Photo by Charles Roussel. Courtesy of Autograph, London, and Hales, London and New York / Simon Roberts, Fountains Fell, Yorkshire Dales, 3 August 2008 © Simon Roberts. Courtesy Flowers Gallery, London and New York / Jyll Bradley, Self-Portrait, Corduroy Jacket 1987–2023 (1 of 2) © the artist

Simon Roberts, Fountains Fell, Yorkshire Dales, 3 August 2008 © Simon Roberts. Courtesy Flowers Gallery, London and New York

This exhibition, drawn from the city collection, celebrated photography’s unique power to reveal connections spanning generations, geographies and shared histories.

At its heart was a group of newly acquired photographic works by Jyll Bradley, Joanne Coates, Rotimi Fani-Kayode, Sunil Gupta and Rene Matić. Informed by the artists’ own experiences, these compelling images brought vital new perspectives on the themes of identity, community and belonging.

These recent acquisitions were presented alongside selected works from the wider collection by artists including Fay Godwin, Isaac Julien and Sam Taylor-Johnson. Together, they showcased how photographers explore both portraiture and place to document and question the world around us. Reflecting on ideas of visibility, marginalisation and desire, the works on display highlighted how photographers have used the medium to challenge dominant narratives and foreground voices that have often been overlooked.

"From Attercliffe barbers to burning grouse moors, Lives in Focus presents photography that embraces life’s marginalised stories"

Read Now Then's review of the exhibition here

The new acquisitions were purchased with support from the JG Graves Charitable Trust, Arts Council England/V&A Purchase Grant Fund and Art Fund.

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