Vanley Burke
Encyclopedia
Vanley Burke was born in St. Thomas, Jamaica, in 1951. He was sent a “Box Brownie” camera from his parents who were living in England
for his 10th birthday. He came to England in 1965 to join his parents and left his radio to his Aunt as a parting gift taking his camera with him. Vanley seriously started photography
around 1967 and making a conscious decision to document the black community and lifestyle in England.
His photographs capture experiences of his community’s arrival in Britain
, the different landscapes and cultures he encountered, the different ways of survival and experiences of the wider African-Caribbean
community. His photography sought to counteract any perception of negative or stereotypical
imagery of black people found in mainstream media
. His photographs represented the black community back to themselves in intimate portrayal and were taken from his perspective as an integral member of the community as opposed to basic documentary
images perceived from 'outsiders'. Vanley's interests have expanded to include other communities in the city and their experiences.
Vanley's first notable exhibition “Handsworth from the Inside” was held at the Ikon Gallery
Birmingham
and then the Commonwealth Institute
in London
in 1983. Since then Vanley’s work has been exhibited extensively at venues such as The Light House, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery
, The Black Arts Gallery in London, Cornerhouse in Manchester
and Walsall Museum and Art Gallery
to name but a few. Vanley has held solo exhibitions as far as in New York
and Mali
. In addition many prestigious galleries and perhaps more traditional settings, Vanley has also purposely exhibited his work in locations more easily accessible to black audiences such as community centres, clubs, pubs, churches, pool halls and schools.
Vanley’s work has also been used in documentaries (such as Handsworth Songs), television programmes, books and record sleeves such as UB40
’s Jeffrey Morgan
. A biography "A Retrospective" on the life and works of Vanley was published by Lawrence & Wishart, edited by Mark Sealy. In 1990 Burke received a call from a friend in South Africa
saying 'South Africa is going to be free and we need you here'. During two visits to South Africa, in 1990 then in 1996, Vanley photographed the life of black South Africans just after Mandela's
release from prison and the subsequent ANC
celebrations hosted and attended by Nelson Mandela for the Anti-Apartheid
veterans.
The “Vanley Burke Archive” maintained by Birmingham City Council
is a constantly growing photographic and documentary community resource of huge range and depth. Complementing his photographic documentation, Vanley collects material which samples and evidences developments and activities of the black community in Britain. The material comprises things such as poster
s or flyer
s and funeral cards that may have been seen as disposable at the time of their creation but take greater significance when maintained in the context of his extensive archive. They evidence and provide valuable insight of the daily activities and everyday lives, cultural and religious beliefs, the arts, political ideals, health and many other facets affecting black community and others in Birmingham and in Britain. Well over thirty years after first picking up his camera, Vanley Burke is still documenting the black community in the UK
and has recently worked on a number of projects including an exhibition and publication project documenting the Asian
community in Birmingham.
From humble beginnings, Vanley Burke is often the subject matter of students dissertations and is considered the most renown and prolific black photographer in the UK.; acclaimed as the "Grandfather of Black British photography". Having won a Kodak Award as early as 1984, Vanley has also received an Honorary Doctorate from Leicester University UK 2007 and the Wolverhampton School of Art and Design presented with an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Art in 2009 at their award ceremony. Professor Stuart Hall
endorsed that “the personal, social and economic life of black people as they arrived, settled and became established in British society – is being constructed, given a certain meaning, significance, value, by Vanley Burke’s camera eye, not merely ‘captured’.”
Vanley is a father to three sons, a grandfather to five children and a great-grandfather of two children.
"It's just about the ability to see something others may be unable to see, in terms of the value. Then show people. They need to see their contribution to this community. I mean, they have been contributing to this thing from the 50s and it's gone beyond, but there is no reference anywhere. It's about having themselves reflected, they are so desperate to see themselves. But this will be there, it isn't going anywhere...." Vanley Burke, September 2005.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
for his 10th birthday. He came to England in 1965 to join his parents and left his radio to his Aunt as a parting gift taking his camera with him. Vanley seriously started photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
around 1967 and making a conscious decision to document the black community and lifestyle in England.
His photographs capture experiences of his community’s arrival in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, the different landscapes and cultures he encountered, the different ways of survival and experiences of the wider African-Caribbean
British African-Caribbean community
The British African Caribbean communities are residents of the United Kingdom who are of West Indian background and whose ancestors were primarily indigenous to Africa...
community. His photography sought to counteract any perception of negative or stereotypical
Stereotype
A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings...
imagery of black people found in mainstream media
Mainstream media
Mainstream media are those media disseminated via the largest distribution channels, which therefore represent what the majority of media consumers are likely to encounter...
. His photographs represented the black community back to themselves in intimate portrayal and were taken from his perspective as an integral member of the community as opposed to basic documentary
Documentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
images perceived from 'outsiders'. Vanley's interests have expanded to include other communities in the city and their experiences.
Vanley's first notable exhibition “Handsworth from the Inside” was held at the Ikon Gallery
Ikon Gallery
The Ikon Gallery is an English gallery of contemporary art, located in Brindleyplace, Birmingham. It is housed in the Grade II listed, neo-gothic former Oozells Street Board School, designed by John Henry Chamberlain in 1877. The gallery's current director is Jonathan Watkins.Ikon was set up to...
Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
and then the Commonwealth Institute
Commonwealth Institute
The Commonwealth Institute was an educational charity connected with the Commonwealth of Nations, and the name of a building in West London formerly owned by the Institute...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1983. Since then Vanley’s work has been exhibited extensively at venues such as The Light House, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery is a museum and art gallery in Birmingham, England.Entrance to the Museum and Art Gallery is free, but some major exhibitions in the Gas Hall incur an entrance fee...
, The Black Arts Gallery in London, Cornerhouse in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and Walsall Museum and Art Gallery
Walsall Museum
The Walsall Museum is located in the centre of Walsall, in the West Midlands, and displays objects from the local area in its permanent history gallery, 'The Changing Face of Walsall', on the 1st floor...
to name but a few. Vanley has held solo exhibitions as far as in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
. In addition many prestigious galleries and perhaps more traditional settings, Vanley has also purposely exhibited his work in locations more easily accessible to black audiences such as community centres, clubs, pubs, churches, pool halls and schools.
Vanley’s work has also been used in documentaries (such as Handsworth Songs), television programmes, books and record sleeves such as UB40
UB40
UB40 are a British reggae/pop band formed in 1978 in Birmingham. The band has placed more than 50 singles in the UK Singles Chart, and has also achieved considerable international success. One of the world's best-selling music artists, UB40 have sold over 70 million records.Their hit singles...
’s Jeffrey Morgan
Jeffrey Morgan (musician)
Jeffrey Morgan is a United States-born jazz musician...
. A biography "A Retrospective" on the life and works of Vanley was published by Lawrence & Wishart, edited by Mark Sealy. In 1990 Burke received a call from a friend in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
saying 'South Africa is going to be free and we need you here'. During two visits to South Africa, in 1990 then in 1996, Vanley photographed the life of black South Africans just after Mandela's
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
release from prison and the subsequent ANC
African National Congress
The African National Congress is South Africa's governing Africanist political party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in April 1994. It defines itself as a...
celebrations hosted and attended by Nelson Mandela for the Anti-Apartheid
Anti-Apartheid Movement
Anti-Apartheid Movement , originally known as the Boycott Movement, was a British organization that was at the center of the international movement opposing South Africa's system of apartheid and supporting South Africa's Blacks....
veterans.
The “Vanley Burke Archive” maintained by Birmingham City Council
Birmingham City Council
The Birmingham City Council is the body responsible for the governance of the City of Birmingham in England, which has been a metropolitan district since 1974. It is the most populated local authority in the United Kingdom with, following a reorganisation of boundaries in June 2004, 120 Birmingham...
is a constantly growing photographic and documentary community resource of huge range and depth. Complementing his photographic documentation, Vanley collects material which samples and evidences developments and activities of the black community in Britain. The material comprises things such as poster
Poster
A poster is any piece of printed paper designed to be attached to a wall or vertical surface. Typically posters include both textual and graphic elements, although a poster may be either wholly graphical or wholly text. Posters are designed to be both eye-catching and informative. Posters may be...
s or flyer
Flyer (pamphlet)
__notoc__A flyer or flier, also called a circular, handbill or leaflet, is a form of paper advertisement intended for wide distribution and typically posted or distributed in public place....
s and funeral cards that may have been seen as disposable at the time of their creation but take greater significance when maintained in the context of his extensive archive. They evidence and provide valuable insight of the daily activities and everyday lives, cultural and religious beliefs, the arts, political ideals, health and many other facets affecting black community and others in Birmingham and in Britain. Well over thirty years after first picking up his camera, Vanley Burke is still documenting the black community in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and has recently worked on a number of projects including an exhibition and publication project documenting the Asian
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
community in Birmingham.
From humble beginnings, Vanley Burke is often the subject matter of students dissertations and is considered the most renown and prolific black photographer in the UK.; acclaimed as the "Grandfather of Black British photography". Having won a Kodak Award as early as 1984, Vanley has also received an Honorary Doctorate from Leicester University UK 2007 and the Wolverhampton School of Art and Design presented with an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Art in 2009 at their award ceremony. Professor Stuart Hall
Stuart Hall (cultural theorist)
Stuart Hall is a cultural theorist and sociologist who has lived and worked in the United Kingdom since 1951. Hall, along with Richard Hoggart and Raymond Williams, was one of the founding figures of the school of thought that is now known as British Cultural Studies or The Birmingham School of...
endorsed that “the personal, social and economic life of black people as they arrived, settled and became established in British society – is being constructed, given a certain meaning, significance, value, by Vanley Burke’s camera eye, not merely ‘captured’.”
Vanley is a father to three sons, a grandfather to five children and a great-grandfather of two children.
"It's just about the ability to see something others may be unable to see, in terms of the value. Then show people. They need to see their contribution to this community. I mean, they have been contributing to this thing from the 50s and it's gone beyond, but there is no reference anywhere. It's about having themselves reflected, they are so desperate to see themselves. But this will be there, it isn't going anywhere...." Vanley Burke, September 2005.
External links
- [The Vanley Burke Archive http://www.bbc.co.uk/birmingham/your_community/bhm/vanley_burke.shtml/ Through the eyes of Vanley Burke]