Anti-apartheid Street Theater, London
- Artist: Chris Steele-Perkins
- Date: 1980–9
- Medium: Photograph, dye destruction on paper
- Dimensions: image: 255 x 382 mm
- Museum: Tate Britain
- Collection record: Tate Britain website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is the “Anti‑apartheid Street Theater, London” by Chris Steele‑Perkins. The work sits in a larger set called *The Pleasure Principle* (1980–89), which contains forty‑four colour Cibachrome photographic prints that capture Britain’s leisure scene in the 1980s. In this series you’ll see scenes of youth culture, sport, politics and countryside hobbies—all filtered through Steele‑Perkins’ eye as he re‑oriented himself after time photographing abroad.
The photograph uses dye destruction on paper; it brings out the vivid colors while preserving details of everyday life. It measures 255 × 382 mm for the image itself, with a support frame of 304 × 406 mm.
Steele‑Perkins says he wanted to “re‑orientate myself” and to look at how we display our identity through public rituals of happiness. The images show us making signals about who we are, revealing “some unintended things.” A portrait of then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher is also in the set, underscoring his focus on distinctly British pursuits.
Overall, this work offers a bright snapshot of 1980s Britain, documenting its social aspirations and cultural divisions—made all the more vivid by the lively Cibachrome process.
See it in person
Anti-apartheid Street Theater, London is in the collection of Tate Britain on Millbank, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
