London Festival of Photography, various venues - review

The Great British Public group show extends into time, place, politics and the mundane. The diversity includes John Angerson?s colour-saturated farm scenes, Chris Steele Perkins?s charming empathy with Centenarians, and Ben Roberts? holiday-makers.

Of the single exhibitions, Simon Roberts? large-scale overviews of Britain?s new depression stand well against Wilfred Frederick?s post-War documentaries of London?s poverty and optimism. In contrast, Minnie Weisz preserves dilapidated buildings awaiting demolition in poetic scenes from a camera obscura.

At the personal level, Wasma Mansour?s photographs of the lives of Saudi women living alone in London reflect her own new freedom. Freedom doesn?t enter Steve Bloom?s 1970s documentary of South Africa?s reign of apartheid, perfectly summed up by the policeman chasing a black youth with a baton ? and a smile.

Meanwhile the scoop exhibition of 2012 is Gaddafi?s 1970s photo archives, which swing between the calm of the President sunbathing and a double public hanging.

This superbly imaginative collection of photography surely guarantees that the LFP will expand and endure.

Until June 30 (some exhibitions until August, check on lfph.org). 020 7502 6061. Gaddafi Archives,? June 21-29, at the Warburg Institute, UCL.

For the latest exhibitions and events visit our Going Out pages.

storm shelters nick lachey chevy volt christina hendricks lifelock camp david hawaii weather