Peter Kennard, Archive of Dissent at Whitechapel Gallery, East London, July 2024 – Well that was busy! There’s lines of people up the stairs patiently waiting to get in, the lobby is packed and there’s not a hope of squeezing into the Peter Kennard talk, I had made a point of getting there early thinking it might be rather busy, this is a serious turn out early in the evening, it feels like an event, there’s all kinds of conversation and debate as you push through, little bites of healthy political argument or story telling as you stand looking at a piece. Tonight is the official opening, Archive of Dissent at Whitechapel Gallery,a major retrospective, fifty years of Peter Kennard’s cutting observations, defiant statement, commentary, agitations, juxtapositions, thorns in various sides, somehow I don’t think Tony Blair is going to be in here taking selfies in front of the work and celebrating the much admired artist’s output tonight? Actually, I wonder if good old Tony ever was a fan before he became a subject and Thatcher was an obvious target? Maybe? Probably not. There’s an argument going on over there about Corbyn not being radical enough, there’s a lot of finger jabbing involved, this is an excellent evening in terms of people watching and evesdropping, MI5 must be having a field day – okay so that bit was a tiny bit tongue in check and tonight really isn’t the time for a serious look at the work, the art, the left-leaning literature and everything else that is packed in to this expansive show, it is impossible to explore it properly with these crowds, a return in the next few days is very much demanded. This is a strong show though, very visual, beautifully hung, powerful, striking – those striking photomontages from the Guardian days, his visual statements on the Gulf War, on Thatcher, South Africa, the Berlin Wall – some of it is very dark, cold, did we live through all this? What comes next? Fifty years of work covered, what an archive.

That glorious period in terms of print and having the tools to do it yourself that was the late 1970s and 1980s – Thatcher, the GLC and Ken Livingstone, Greenham Common and Faslane, Miner Strike, the cracks in the various systems, his political foes and yes, for once we can use the “I” word, there are quite a few iconic moments – indeed a then flourishing print culture offered rich material to work from and with. That golden age of zines that we well know (from first hand experience) Peter Kennard influenced in a more than healthy way – yes, an image or two might have been in the photocopied collages that made up the backgrounds in early editions of Organs back there, often without knowing where they had come from as they circulated the branches of the punk rock Pritt Stick fuelled cut and paste underground. Cut and paste rather than copy and paste, photocopiers and manual typewriters were our weapons – “we are your children on broken typewriters” went the slogan on a FIN Cell newsletter or two – back there, way way (way) before the Internet (or even Fax machines) there was a network of FIN Cells throughout, each cell would produce a newsletter and these (often badly) photocopied or maybe Gestetner printed info sheets would tell of benefit gigs, meetings, protests, free festival dates, punk bands playing in squats, actually I was explaining this to someone at the opening last night after an overheard conversation, it was a great night for conversations…

https://youtube.com/watch?v=nHBRQDiV9Hc%3Fsi%3Dm3jkCjosH-KR9h3y

What maybe wasn’t expected was such a good looking, immensely rewarding, visually powerful art show. I guess I was kind of expecting a slightly reverential, slightly cold respectful academic retrospective, but this is a striking show, a very powerful show. Love the red work bench vices that are holding the placards, love the changing lights behind those hanging prints on news paper pages that emphasises each one and made it all look so big, that is just an inspired (and inspiring) piece, brilliant! I was kind of expecting academic coldness, chin-stroking but this feels warmly exciting, engaging and yes, almost, triumphant, although with everything going on, this is probably not the time to be feeling triumphant about the state of the the world, about the world order, the them and the rest of us. It surely is a time to celebrate an artist and his contribution though, it is a time to feel good about Peter Kennard and his art and all he had done (and continues to do).

We need to come back and see the show properly without all the noise and the crowds and the elbows and the heat, it was hot in there last night, the air was thick (with the smell of oppression…). It was a rewarding opening and as uncomfortably hot as it was in there, I rather like that it was so packed, so respected, so happening, buzzing, rather pleased that it felt like something important. A strong opening last night and the opening set from Arfoud Brothers and Sisters was good as well, the crowds meant Kae Tempest’s set was missed (I was looking forward to that). The whole thing felt positively good, lots to discuss, debate. We’ll be back for more in a couple of days, a proper review as it were, strong opening last night, important stuff, a celebration and rightly so, watch this space, to be continued… (sw)  

Peter Kennard, Archive of Dissent at Whitechapel Gallery is on now and until January 19th 2025.  Whitechapel Gallery is found at 77-82 Whitechapel High St, London, E1 7QX

As always do click on an image to see the whole thing or to run the slide show