| Description | Autograph was founded in 1988 in London to support Black photographic practices. Stuart Hall was heavily involved with the organisation and until 2008 was the chair of Autograph. A new purpose-built building Rivington Place was also opened by Stuart Hall in 2007. This section of the archive includes 35mm slides, reports, drafts, reviews and research by Stuart Hall and others about Autograph, the artists the institution supported, and materials related to a book published by Autograph, written by Stuart Hall and director of Autograph Mark Sealy called ‘Different’. |
| Administrative History | Autograph was founded in 1988 in London to support black photographic practices. Founding signatories of Autograph in 1988 are as follows:
Monika Baker
Merle Van Den Bosch
Armet Francis
Sunil Gupta
Michael Jess
George Shire
Lance Watson
Originally formed from an office in the Bon Marché Building in Brixton, Autograph – known then as the Association of Black Photographers – launched a programme of exhibitions, publications and events. The organisation works internationally and embodies ideas of cultural representation and how photography can define and explore the meaning of the spaces and cultures we inhabit.
Between 1988 and 2007 Autograph worked as an agency to initiate projects in gallery spaces, museums, at festivals or in public sites. Autograph has built an extensive repertoire of projects and project partners, delivered commissions, developed its permanent photographic collection and published monographs, newspapers and essay collections. They changed their name to Autograph ABP in 2002.
In 2007 Autograph moved to a purpose-built permanent home: Rivington Place in Shoreditch. The building houses storage for their collection of photography, exhibition spaces and places to facilitate learning and sharing of art and culture. An image archive documenting the cultural history of Britain and its diverse communities is based in their offices in East London. |