Liz Johnson Artur is a Ghanaian-Russian photographer based in South London. For over 30 years, she has documented African diaspora all over the world. After receiving her first camera in 1985, while staying with her Russian family in a black neighbourhood in Brooklyn, Artur realized that by taking photographs she could access spaces she was curious about and understand something about herself. Thus began her 30 year research into the lived experiences of black people all across the world – her aim was to deconstruct the stereotypes surrounding black people and instead do the work of building a body of images that was representative to the different lives of black people as unique individuals. More recently, Artur settled in South London and has been capturing the diverse communities that exist in the metropolis. If You Know The Beginning, The End Is No Trouble, is Artur’s first solo exhibition in the UK. The exhibition itself uses unconventional methods to display the works, from the material the works are printed on to the way the space is used. It is divided into 4 thematic sections; Peckham Rye, black-majority churches, non-binary club nights, and a still life section called Library.
Liz Johnson Artur: If You Know The Beginning, The End Is No Trouble is on show at South London Gallery, from 14 June to 01 September 2019