person or persons unknown

paintings by David Gledhill

Hive Gallery

Market Place

Bolton

BL1 1AL

Saturday September 2 – Sunday October 15, 2023

As we plunge ever deeper into a culture of self-branding, person or persons unknown celebrates the anonymous C20th citizens who experienced some of the most drastic upheavals in history.

Based on snapshots, studio portraits and official records collected from flea market stalls across Europe, the exhibition explores the limits of photography as an apparently ‘objective’ medium and its relationship to the portrait tradition in painting.

Drawing on a range of material produced between the 1920s and 1960s, person or persons unknown reveals how, at times of ideological pressure, individuality can be suppressed socially, politically and through representational practices. Reinvesting a sense of human presence into documents and keepsakes that have been lost, misplaced or discarded, it demonstrates the enduring fascination of the human image.

For more information or to make an appointment to view the exhibition outside gallery hours contact David Gledhill at davidgledhillartist@gmail.com.