Syd Shelton

Syd Shelton (born 1947)^[1] is a British photographer who documented the Rock Against Racism movement.^[2][3] His work is held in the collections of Tate and the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Life and work[]

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Shelton was born in Pontefract in 1947. Having studied fine art in Yorkshire he began his photography practice in the early 1970s, following a move to Australia. In Sydney, Shelton worked as a freelance photo-journalist for newspapers such as Nation Review, The Age, and Digger. In 1975 he had a solo exhibition of his photographs, 'Working Class Heroes' at the Sydney Film-makers Cooperative. In 1976, Shelton returned to London and he established the design and photography partnership Red Wedge Graphics' which evolved into the current agency 'Graphicsi'. Shelton become one of the key activists in the movement Rock against Racism. He was a photographer and one of the designers of the RAR magazine 'Temporary hoarding' which was published between 1976 to 1981. During the 1980s, as well as producing photographs for magazines and the press, and graphics for the public and private sector, Shelton co-edited, and was art director of, a series of photographic books that includes the award winning Day in the Life of London, and Ireland: A Week in the Life of a Nation.

Publications[]

Books of work by Shelton[]

• Rock Against Racism. London: Autograph ABP, 2016. ISBN 978-1899282180. Co-edited by Mark Sealy and Carol Tulloch. With an essay by Paul Gilroy.^[4][5]
• Syd Shelton, Red Saunders, Malcolm McGregor: A Day in the Life of London. Jonathan Cape Ltd, 1985, 288 pages, ISBN 978-0224029759.
• Syd Shelton, Red Saunders: Ireland: A Week in the Life of a Nation. Century Hutchinson, 1986, 288 pages, ISBN 9780712695183.

Zines of work by Shelton[]

• Crowds 1977–1981. Southport: Café Royal, 2019. With a text by Tulloch. Edition of 250 copies. Later reprinted.
• West Belfast 1979. Southport: Café Royal, 2020. Edited by Craig Atkinson.
• Street Portraits. Southport: Café Royal, 2020. Edited by Atkinson.
• The Battle of Lewisham 1977. Southport: Café Royal, 2021. Edited by Atkinson.

Exhibitions[]

Solo exhibitions[]

• Syd Shelton: Rock Against Racism, curated by Mark Sealy and Carol Tulloch,^[6] Autograph ABP, Rivington Place, London, 2015;^[7][8] Impressions Gallery, Bradford, 2016;^[9] Street Level Photoworks, Glasgow, 2017;^[9][10] Gallery Oldham, Oldham, 2020^[11]

Group exhibitions[]

• Music Migrations (1962–1989), Cité nationale de l'histoire de l'immigration, Paris, 2019–2020^[12]
• Facing Britain – British documentary photography since the1960s, Museum Goch, Germany, 2020^[13]
• Stan Firm inna Inglan: Black Diaspora in London, 1960–70s, 2016/2017, Tate Britain, London

Collections[]

Shelton's work is held in the following permanent collections:

• Tate, UK: 7 prints (as of April 2020)^[1]
• Victoria and Albert Museum, London: 8 prints (as of April 2020)^[14]

References[]

External links[]

• Official website
• "Rock Against Racism: Syd Shelton's photographs of a movement in 1970s Britain", Katy Cowan, Creative Boom, 2017
• "Punk and reggae fought back against racism in the 70s", Stuart Brumfitt, i-D, 2015

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