Strange and Familiar: Britain as Revealed by International Photographers – Barbican Art Gallery

I attended the exhibition Strange and Familiar: Britain as Revealed by International Photographers at the Barbican Art Gallery. Curated by the British photographer Martin Parr, the exhibition consisted of photographs by international photographers chronicling Britain from the 1930s onwards, and it was fascinating.

The usual stereotypes – queueing, drinking tea, sitting on the beach – were present, but there were many quirky and unusual shots. Most people photographed were ordinary people going about their day-to-day lives: even the pictures taken during the Coronation of George VI concentrated on the crowds rather than the royals. The exhibition is going to Manchester later this year, and it’s worth catching it if you can.