Frequently overlooked in a city as rapidly expanding as London: community. What are the contemporary notions of neighbourhoods and being at home in such a dense, over-populated metropolis? A new exhibition at Greenwich’s NOW Gallery looks to find out.
Nina Manandhar
Inspired by George Plemper’s extensive record of working-class life in Thamesmead communities, his 1976/79 Riverside School series, NOW Gallery’s Intimate Spaces explores those images alongside similarly intriguing work from four contemporary photographers who have also documented communities that surround the south London gallery: Cian Oba- Smith, Nina Manandhar, Carlos Jimenez and Ingrid Rasmussen.
The disparate day-to-day lives of folk in Woolwich Arsenal, Greenwich Peninsula, Eltham and Thamesmead are exposed in the compelling exhibition; Rasmussen’s vivid portraits, Cian Oba-Smith’s poignant realities set against the dreamy hues of the golden hour, Manandhar bringing vibrant life to Brutalist architecture, and Jiménez capturing the fledgling Greenwich Peninsula neighbourhood.
Modern identities are laid bare throughout the photographers’ collective works, their lenses focussed on the real world existences of today’s Londoners; offering a unique insight into where the ‘neighbourhood’ is at in 2016. Dele Adeyemo of creative studio Pidgin Perfect brings an interactive element to the show, VR headsets allowing visitors to navigate the communities through 3D visualisations.
Ingrid Rasmussen
Cian Oba-Smith
George Plemper
Carlos Jiménez
Nina Manandhar
George Plemper
Cian Oba-Smith
Nina Manandhar
