We’ve collaborated with the TATE to bring you free exhibition books, children’s books and our monthly group trips to exhibitions across London for free! See what we have on our list each month and complete the form below to claim your book.

The 80s: Photographing Britain
By Yasufumi Nakamori, Helen Little & Jasmine Kaur Chohan (eds.)

  • Taking you behind the lens during a decade of significant social and political change, discover the remarkable transformation of British photography in the 1980s, and its impact on art across the world.

    This book traces critical developments in photographic art in the UK, made by a diverse range of photographers in and around the Thatcher era (1976–1993). Rather than presenting a comprehensive history, the publication showcases more than 70 lens-based artists, and reveal numerous small histories, known and unknown, presented by a constellation of image makers, photography journals, photographer collectives, and theorists. Close attention is paid to the intersection between photography and the British Black arts movement, and to the theoretical developments in photography and representation from the perspectives of postmodernism and cultural theory by British scholars from the period.

    Photographers include Don McCullin, Martin Parr, Ingrid Pollard, Sunil Gupta, Wolfgang Tillmans, Keith Arnatt, Vanley Burke, Sirkka-Liisa Kontinnen, Marketa Luskacova, Joy Gregory, Paul Graham, Ajamu X, and many more key figures.

Fadya and the Song of the River
By Laura Nsafou and Amélie-Anne Calmo

  • A vibrantly illustrated picture book celebrating creativity and serving your community, from celebrated French children's author Laura Nsafou and debut illustrator Amélie-Anne Calmo.

    Between the deserts of Mali and the rivers of Mauritania is a song known only to Africa itself. It is a song that can be heard every day, so long as the wind isn't blowing too hard.

    It is the song of the Luminaries, a group of women with powerful magic wearing long golden dresses. Fadya is the youngest of the Luminaries and on her journey, she will encounter and help two fishermen who have inadvertently awaken the wrath of the Goddess of the river.

    Available in English for the first time, Fadya and the Song of the River is a wonderful journey inspired by traditional African tales, with bold artwork filled with movement that will delight young readers.

    Laura Nsafou, also known as Mrs Roots, is an afrofeminist blogger and author. She reviews books from afro literature and writes articles about afrofeminism in France. Her different projects challenge antiblackness and seek for a fair representation of black women in French culture. Founder of the Afrolab workshop, Laura is also the author of several other children’s books, including the eleven-times reprinted picture book Comme un million de papillons noirs (Like A Million Black Butterflies).

    Translated from French by Ros Schwartz.

Grandma's Locs
By Karen Arthur & Camilla Ru

  • Celebrating the beauty of natural Black hair, this debut picture book is an infectious, imaginative and colourfully illustrated tale about the love that is shared between family.

    Grandma has beautiful locs. Whenever she comes to visit, she wears them in so many wonderful ways! Sometimes they playfully peep out from under her vibrant headscarves. Sometimes they coil into plump bunches that crown her head. Always, they are soft and warm and full of Grandma’s love.

    Discover the magical bond between a loving grandma and her curious young grandson in this vibrant and joyful book celebrating the beauty of natural Black hair and mixed race hair. Join the fun as Grandma shares the stories woven into her locs, showing her grandson how each twist and turn is a celebration of their heritage and love.

    Bursting with colourful illustrations and filled with laughter, this delightful tale is perfect for ages 5 to 7, inspiring children to embrace their unique beauty and the special connections that make family truly magical.

Zanele Muholi Exhibition Book
By Sarah Allen & Yasufumi Nakamori

  • Created to accompany one of the most exciting exhibitions of 2020, this stunning paperback catalogue presents the full breadth of Muholi’s photographic and activist practice.

    Richly illustrated, it includes images from the key series Muholi has produced over the past twenty years, as well as never-before-published and recent works. The exhibition book also features six newly commissioned essays exploring their work, as well as a full glossary and chronology.

    Born in South Africa, Zanele Muholi came to prominence in the early 2000s with photographs that sought to envision black lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer and intersex lives beyond deviance or victimhood. Muholi’s work challenges hetero-patriarchal ideologies and representations, presenting the participants in their photographs as confident and beautiful individuals bravely existing in the face of prejudice, intolerance and, frequently, violence. While Muholi’s intimate photographs of others launched their international career, their intense self-portraits solidified it.

    Sarah Allen is Assistant Curator at Tate Modern.

    Yasufumi Nakamori is Senior Curator, International Art at Tate Modern.