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'British' explores & celebrates the multicultural nature of British identity

'British' is a photography exhibition at B-Side by Walé & The Print Room in London next month, that explores the multi-cultural nature of British identity.

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Woman wearing striped blazer and graphic t-shirt with logo, hair styled in rolls, standing among crowded city street with blurred figures behind her

Taking his own iconic ‘British’ T-shirt, a celebration of multicultural ‘Britishness’, as his starting point the fashion designer Walé Adeyemi commissioned photographer Zadoc Nava to document the changing face of Britain. Using the street as his studio, Nava has produced a series of compelling portraits that reflect the diverse nature of contemporary British society.

The series deliberately avoids geographical specificity to focus on the people, not the location. A number of carefully considered, individual portraits are presented alongside a series of street portraits. On the crowded streets, the subjects appear lost in contemplation, immersed in a world of their own, or defiant and uncompromising as they return the photographer’s gaze.

The photographs are not staged but they possess a deliberate implication of narrative as if the people photographed are characters in an imaginary film; expressions and body language allude to real-life stories and experiences, unspoken fears and desires. There are moments of brevity and unexpected humour but as the euphoria of the 2012 Games recedes and the recession lingers the images reveal a mood of melancholy and uncertainty.

Ultimately, the diversity revealed in the images demonstrates the impossibility of defining anyone, all-encompassing notion of ‘Britishness’. Instead, we are offered a captivating glimpse of difference and individuality - a national identity shaped by a legacy of Empire and migration.

This intersection between fashion design and photography has produced a unique perspective on contemporary Britain. The exhibition is a B-Side by Walé & Print Room production and made possible with the financial assistance of the University for the Creative Arts.

Via direct submission | All images courtesy of Zadoc Nava

Woman with dark windswept hair and chain necklace wearing black leather jacket, gazing directly at camera on a busy street
Young woman in olive jacket gazes directly at camera while surrounded by blurred figures on a crowded street, from photographer Zadoc Nava's British identity series
A young girl with white-blonde hair wearing a burgundy top holds a small dog while standing among leafy vines and foliage
Woman wearing a black headscarf gazes directly at the camera while standing among other people on a busy urban street
A man in a grey t-shirt stands among a crowd on a city street, looking downward with a contemplative expression
Bald man with glasses and beard wearing black shirt, hand raised to ear, surrounded by blurred figures on a crowded street
Woman with dark hair looking upward amid blurred figures in a crowded street scene, part of Zadoc Nava's British identity portrait series
Man with curly hair sitting in an urban courtyard surrounded by brick walls and a stone statue, gazing directly at the camera with a contemplative expression
A group of people standing together on a street, some carrying luggage, captured in a candid moment that reflects the diversity of contemporary Britain
Man wearing black fur-collared jacket and large chain necklace stands among other people on a crowded street, gazing to the side
Two women with long dark hair stand together on a street, one wearing a pink top and the other a patterned shirt, as other figures blur in the foreground and background
A man in a striped shirt surrounded by a crowd of diverse people on a busy urban street, looking directly at the camera with a composed expression
Man in glasses and blue shirt standing in tall grass beneath a gnarled tree with sprawling branches
An older man with a white beard and glasses wearing a white cap and shirt looks directly at the camera on a London street
Man wearing black bowler hat and glasses with full beard stands among a crowd of people in dark clothing on a street
Woman wearing black blazer and earphones stands among a crowd on a busy street, looking directly at the camera with a contemplative expression
Person riding a mobility scooter on a curved path through a park with bare trees and grass verges under a cloudy sky
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