Conceived by Steve McQueen and curated in collaboration with Clarrie Wallis and Emma Lewis of Turner Contemporary, this thought-provoking exhibition explores how acts of resistance have shaped life in the UK and the powerful role photography has played in both documenting and driving change.

Presenting a century of activism, Resistance spans from the radical suffrage movement in 1903 to the largest-ever protest in Britain’s history—the Anti-Iraq War Protest in 2003.

The exhibition brings together works by renowned photographers such as Vanley Burke, Henry Grant, Fay Godwin, Edith Tudor-Hart, Tish Murtha, Humphrey Spender, Christine Spengler, Andrew Testa, Paul Trevor and Janine Wiedel, alongside lesser-known photographers who documented these powerful stories.

Drawing on photographs from various archives collections and image libraries, Resistance deliberately focuses on moments captured before digital cameras became commonplace.

As the North of England venue on the tour, Leeds Art Gallery will present this critically acclaimed exhibition following its highly successful presentations at Turner Contemporary in Margate (22 February–1 June 2025) and National Galleries of Scotland: Modern Two in Edinburgh (21 June 2025–4 January 2026).

Steve McQueen: Resistance
How Protest Shaped Britain and Photography Shaped Protest

6 November 2026–25 April 2027

Leeds Art Gallery
The Headrow
Leeds
LS1 3AA