Raw and Empathetic

His immersive documentations of 1970s and 80s Britain, and the communities most affected by the economic shifts of that time, made Chris Killip (1946–2020) a key representative of British photography. To this day, the influence of his social-documentary approach is reflected in the visual language of generations of photographers. 

With Chris Killip. A Retrospective, the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation presents the most comprehensive survey of the artist’s oeuvre in Germany to date. Curated by Ken Grant and Tracy Marshall-Grant, the exhibition comprises more than 140 images, with a particular focus on Killip’s time in the North of England and the Isle of Man: poignant black-and-white portraits, landscapes and architectural photographs illustrate the consequences of the deindustrialisation and sweeping reforms in domestic policy following Margaret Thatcher’s election to prime minister in 1979. 

Killip’s observations of the harsh everyday realities of Britain’s struggling working class are hard-hitting, yet at the same time imbued with dignity and warmth. His images are a testament to the personal relationships he built with his protagonists over long periods of time. With his work, the photographer affirmed the value of the people he grew close to – people who, as he once put it, “had history done to them”.