103. Up North! Provincializing British Art History in the 1980s (FULL DAY)

This panel will examine the artistic ecosystems of Northern England during the 1980s. During that decade, Northern England experienced profound social, political and economic upheavals that deepened regional North / South inequalities. Amidst these challenges, artistic and exhibition cultures in the region flourished: locally situated creative practitioners reacted to a collapsing society, creating pockets of energy and experimentation. Artists including Conrad Atkinson, Rita Donagh, John Hyatt, and Lubaina Himid, and grassroots collectives including Welfare State International and Black Artists Alliance, created work and staged events that offered socio-political critique rooted in feminist, anti-racist and socialist discourses. While artists developed DIY venues and infrastructures (e.g. Abbey Mill, Cumbria; Black-E, Liverpool), within municipal galleries (e.g. Rochdale Art Gallery; Mappin Art Gallery, Sheffield), there was a changed understanding of what and who those institutions were for: innovative exhibition officers developed programmes that actively engaged with local audiences.

We welcome 20 min papers that focus on the artistic and/or exhibition cultures of the North of England in the 1980s; that provide exhibition case studies; or that address “issue-based” work, whether: feminist; Peace activism; workers’ rights; AIDS activism; racial discrimination; or Anti-nuclear and environmental concerns. Following Dipesh Chakrabarty (2000), through our focus on artistic activities in “the North”, we seek to provincialize British art history: while interest in the decade increases (The 80s: Photographing Britain, Tate Britain, 2024), Northern England remains underserved in British art historical scholarship. We seek to advance existing literature on the North and its art histories (Biggs, 1990; Gee, 2017), to challenge London-centric narratives that have hitherto overshadowed remarkable, regionally specific artistic creativity.

Themes: Northern England, 1980s, Issue-based Art.

Additional format comment: This proposal may compliment other proposals engaging with regional (UK and Ireland) art histories. Full day session.

Lead Convenor: Alice Correia, TATE, United Kingdom.

Co-convenors: Holly Grange, University of Manchester, United Kingdom.

To submit a Paper to this Session, please follow the guidance on our website and compete the AAH 2027 Call for Papers Proposal Submission Form.