Mandela, jazz and Black resistance: The George Hallett exhibition
Mandela, jazz and pioneering Black British artists comprise a stunning exhibition of work by South African photographer George Hallett at Liverpool John Moores University.
George Hallett: Home and Exile - the first ever showcase of this pioneering photographer in Liverpool - opens to the public on 23 April and is curated by LJMU art historian Dr Christine Eyene.
It runs until July 6 at the Exhibition Research Lab, The John Lennon Art and Design Building, Brownlow Hill, near the Catholic Cathedral, Liverpool.
Hallett developed his practice as a self-taught street photographer in Cape Town in the 1960s. His early images depict street scenes in places such as the neighbourhood of District Six, Black communities, and cultural figures and moments that were to become a major theme throughout his career. As a South African of mixed heritage, his experience of discrimination during apartheid, and the lack of professional opportunities, led him to exile.
Black resistance
He first settled in England in the early 1970s and photographed both South African exile and Black life with the intention of creating a visual record that restored dignity to a people that was either absent or misrepresented in mainstream media. Doing so, he created an incredible photographic archive of Black resistance.
George Hallett: Home and Exile focuses on the first part of his exile, with a selection of photographs taken in England in the 1970s and 1980s, and focuses on visual artists such as Gerard Sekoto, Dumile Feni and UK-based artist Gavin Jantjes; jazz musicians, and his designs for the book covers of Heinemann’s African Writers Series including Nobel Prize winner Nadine Gordimer and Booker Prize winner Chinua Achebe.
IMAGE: George Hallett, Madiba on the phone. Johannesburg, 1994.
The exhibition concludes with Hallett’s return to South Africa marked by his series on Nelson Mandela during his campaign for South Africa’s first democratic elections in 1994. These images earned him a World Press Photo Award for People in the News in 1995.
First presented at Clémentine de la Féronnière (Paris) in March 2025 as part of Centre Pompidou’s “Échos Paris noir” programme, this new display, in its expanded version, coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Soweto Uprising that started on 16 June 1976, raising global awareness on the injustice of apartheid, and bringing international condemnation.
The accompanying public programme will include talks, music, performances, and film screenings.
The exhibition and public programme are supported by Liverpool John Moores University’s Institute of Art and Technology (IAT) and an Enhancing Research Cultures Grant on the theme of ‘Decolonial Research Culture’.
Preview: Wednesday 22 April 17:00 – 20:00
Book here to attend the preview.
MAIN IMAGE: George Hallett, Gerard Sekoto in front of his painting Homage to Steve Biko. 1988.
The Exhibition Research Lab Public Gallery
Exhibition Research Lab (ERL) is a public exhibition venue dedicated to the interdisciplinary study of exhibitions and curatorial knowledge. It presents a year-round programme of exhibitions and events open to public.
The Centre attracts visitors from all over the world and was voted as one of the top 10 art venues in Liverpool by The Guardian.
