A collection of photographs aimed at displaying Hackney’s “diverse mixture of creative personalities” has come under fire for its lack of minority representation, with even the photographer admitting it made her “uncomfortable”.
Faces of Hackney’s creative industries?
Hackney Studio: Photographs that celebrate the borough's diverse mix of creatives https://t.co/TiAxIGR61P pic.twitter.com/ENAwHdjp5B
— Creative Boom (@CreativeBoomMag) March 14, 2016
“Hackney Studio”, a series which has been carried out over three years by London photographer Jenny Lewis, will eventually be released as a book.
From jewellers to costume designers, the collection features photographs of a range of Hackney residents working in the creative industries.
But despite making up nearly 20 per cent of the borough’s population, black people featured in just two of the 100 portraits.
Mrs Lewis said the lack of diversity among her subjects surprising and disappointing.
“I’m fully aware that there is a problem with ethnic diversity in the series,” she said.
“I would hate to put a project out there that isn’t reflective of Hackney. I am surprised and disappointed that it’s so white. It’s made me uncomfortable.
“It was supposed to be a celebration of Hackney’s creatives, but now it’s become a political comment on gentrification, an obituary of the borough.”
Hackney is the sixth most diverse borough in London. In the 2011 census it was found that almost 20 per cent of Hackney’s residents identify as being either black African or black Caribbean, while 52 per cent are white.
Natalie Lawrence, a black photographer who criticised the series on Twitter, suggested the series pointed towards a wider issue of underrepresentation of minorities in the art world.
Another East London exhibition criticised for lack of diversity
This is the 2nd "Hackney/East London creatives" project I've seen & guess what? NO BLACK PEOPLE. https://t.co/KaTjiS4Okf
— Natalie Lawrence (@IamNLawrence) March 14, 2016
“We should not be living in an age where we are having to question whether we’re still doing anything of note and what we have to do to get recognised,” she said.
“I am well aware of the contribution of West Indians like my parents and other non-white communities have made, and yet they are erased so easily and only brought out as props.
“It is something that needs to be remedied. In my opinion, that will only come with the diversification of people in the media.”
Lewis, who has lived in Hackney for 20 years, explained that one of the reasons for the lack of diversity was due to the fact that everyone initially photographed as subjects for the series nominated the next person to have their picture taken.
“I’m not choosing who is photographed,” Lewis said. “It seems like I would have to cheat to get the numbers if I wanted it to be ethnically diverse. Maybe I was really naïve and ultimately it is a true reflection of the art world? It’s a really closed place.
“I spoke to the black guy I shot for the project on the topic of diversity and he told me ‘this is what it feels like to be a black artist in London, it’s really hard.’ I’m still hoping that my subjects will look at how white the project is at the moment and nominate more diverse artists, but I don’t want to influence anyone myself.”
Lewis’s project isn’t the first east London photography project to receive criticism over its lack of diversity. The “Makers of East London”, released in 2015 by design journalist Katie Treggiden with photographs by Charlotte Schreiber, has also been called out for featuring almost exclusively white creatives.
Featured image credit: J c via flickr
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