Amar Gallery presents the first London gallery show for Stephen Shames the photographer of the Black Panther Party.
For the first time in London, Shames’ powerful civil rights images of Martin Luther King Jr, Bobby Seale, Huey Newton, Maya Angelou and Angela Davis amongst others will be on view at Amar Gallery.
At a time when racism is on the rise, this exhibition serves as a reminder that equality has been a struggle for millions often suppressed due to race, gender or sexuality. Black Panther founder Bobby Seale, who co-authored a book with Shames, said of the tribulations the Black Panther’s faced: “They came down on us because we had grassroots, real people's revolution, complete with the programs, complete with the unity, complete with the working coalitions, where we crossed racial lines.” The people’s revolution, programmes and working coalitions were documented by Shames for years, protecting the legacy, history and spirit of the equal rights movement.
Shames testified about child poverty to the United States Senate in 1986 and he was named a Purpose Prize Fellow in 2010 by Encore.org for his work helping AIDS orphans and former child soldiers in Africa. His works are held in museums collections worldwide including MoMa, The Metropolitan Museum & The National Portrait Gallery, USA.
While Shames has photographed a vast array of subjects—from political leaders to ordinary people across diverse cultures—a unifying thread runs through his photos: an exploration of what divides and unites us. His images of children and families reveal stories of violence, abuse, love, hope, and transcendence, offering a window into the complexities of the human experience.
Exhibition Dates 29th May – 6th July 2025
Amar Gallery Kirkman House, Lower Ground, 12-14 Whitfield Street, London, W1T 2RF
Further Information: Amar Gallery