Archive of Dissent specially conceived for the Whitechapel Gallery, is one of the most extensive displays of Peter Kennard’s work to date. It surveys his prolific and influential five-decade career, during which he has produced iconic images of resistance and dissent, continuously countering the status quo.
Archive of Dissent
The exhibition brings together work from across Kennard’s career, offering an important repository of social and political history while illuminating an artistic practice that has continuously protested the status quo.
Peter Kennard has been creating iconic and influential images of resistance and dissent since the 1970s. His work covers significant movements and events such as the Vietnam War, the Anti-Apartheid Movement, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), and the Stop the War Coalition campaigns in the 2000s. More recently, his art addresses the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, along with his ongoing commitment to environmental activism. Kennard’s unique visual practice effectively bridges art and politics, reaching a broad and diverse audience.
Reflecting the history of the space’s former library function, Kennard’s exhibition takes the form of an active and constantly evolving archive. Much of it will be presented as printed material displayed on walls, placards, in vitrines, or on lecterns. These include the newspapers where his images were first published, as well as the posters and books through which they continue to circulate.