London In Focus

Review: As We Rise: Photography from the Black Atlantic – 5 November 2024-20 January 2025

There’s a cliche about successful North American dentists being collectors of dubious taste. Picture middle-aged men with waiting rooms full of classic rock memorabilia, pinball machines in their basement sports bars at home, and a Harley in the garage.

But this description couldn’t be further from the truth when it comes to Dr. Kenneth Montague. The Toronto-based dentist has one of the largest collections of art and photography that focuses on the African diaspora and contemporary Black life.

The images featured in As We Rise have been selected from the Wedge Collection, which was founded by Montague in 1997.

There is a mix of styles on show, from Jamel Shabazz’s 1980s street shots of New York City kids to portraiture and more conceptual pieces. But what unites the images is the humanity in them.

Although there is a room focused on the theme of protest and there are moments of painful poignancy, like Hank Willis Thomas’s shot of a man staring directly at you with three tears balanced on his cheeks, there is an overwhelming sense of joy, confidence, and self-expression throughout As We Rise.

The confidence is likely to stem from the fact that, as one of the texts on a gallery wall points out, ‘Black subjects are depicted by Black photographers, presented as they wish to be seen… The gaze is mutual and consensual.’ 

One of the images that embodies this mutual gaze, and the piece that sparked Montague’s interest in collecting, is from James Van Der Zee’s work taken on the streets of Harlem in 1920s and ‘30s. A couple, the man sitting in a glistening car and a woman standing next to it, are draped in fur coats and look at the camera with a cool nonchalance and a hint of pride shining through.

The exhibition notes are worth reading, not only because they describe how Montague has created an important community for Black artists, but they also point out details you might miss.

Next to four small prints of Oumar Ly’s work, the text describes how the self-taught photographer documented rural life in West Africa. He asked assistants to hold fabric as a backdrop for his portraits and in doing so he captured glimpses of these helpers alongside the main subject. In one image it’s a hand near the top of the frame, in another their silhouette can be seen through the sheet.

It’s a fitting analogy for the exhibition. In the foreground, the photos are the stars of the show. But behind the scenes the hand of Kenneth Montague is just about visible. He has collected the works on show not just for his own enjoyment but to support artists, give the subjects in the photographs a space to be seen, and bring the joys and power of Black life to a wider audience.

Review: Anastasia Samoylova: Adaptation – 5 November 2024-20 January 2025

One floor up from As We Rise is the second of the Saatchi Gallery’s winter exhibitions. While As We Rise shows a diversity of styles, Anastasia Samoylova work is more singular.

The Russian-born American photographer’s Adaptation showcases a number of her projects. The most striking are the shots from Floodzone and Floridas, which paint a dank and disorienting picture of the American south.

You can almost feel the humidity in the fleshy pinks and murky greens of her Floodzone shots. And many of them make you think the exhibition title is referencing not how we adapt to nature but how nature is adapting to our built environment.

Samoylova shows water pooling above a solid stone surface and erosion eating away at concrete and metal.

In other shots you may have to step back and take a second to work out what you are looking at. What you think is an apartment building is actually a developer’s mock-up on a hoarding that sits above a patch of dirt and unkempt grass.

Her Imagine Cities photographs continue the exploration of how advertising and consumerism have become embedded in urban environments. She plays with perspectives so that you can’t always tell what is real. Sometimes billboards dominate the city, sometimes the ads feel more insidious.

Adaptation is a timely overview of a photographer who is building a significant body of work, and is a must-see even if you’re visiting the Saatchi just to see As We Rise. 

Aneesa Dawoojee: March Of The Hummingbirds – 5 November 2024-5 January 2025

March Of The Hummingbirds is presented almost as an extension of As We Rise. But it is less about the images and more about the stories of the Caribbean and Mauritian elders pictured.

Alongside warm and dignified portraits it allows space for the participants to tell the stories of their migration and contribution to Britain in their own words.

In a single room there are dozens of rich family histories and a few different portraiture styles.

It is a worthy companion exhibition to the main show.

---

www.saatchigallery.com

Address: Duke of York’s HQ, King’s Road, London, SW3 4RY (Map)

Opening hours: Monday-Sunday: 10am-6pm, last entry: 5:20pm for free Ground Floor exhibitions; 5pm for ticketed exhibitions

Ticket prices

Standard entry: £14 (£12 without donation)

Concession – students, seniors, disabled, and children ages 6-16: £7 (£6 without donation)

Family – two adults + two children under the age of 18: £33 (£30 without donation)

Children under 6: Free

Members: Free