Gordon Parks understood the camera as a weapon, a tool for justice and revelation. Born in 1912 in Fort Scott, Kansas, he transformed the lens into an instrument capable of exposing both brutality and beauty, inequality and resilience. His photographs chronicled the daily lives, struggles and triumphs of Black Americans, insisting that their stories be seen and remembered.聽We Shall Not Be Moved, now at Alison Jacques in London, presents these works in a powerful dialogue with the present, reflecting Parks鈥 capacity to bear witness while demanding accountability. The exhibition coincides with the 20th anniversary of The Gordon Parks Foundation, celebrating a legacy that continues to shape contemporary photography. Peter W. Kunhardt, Jr., Executive Director of the Foundation, states: 鈥淲e are pleased to celebrate The Gordon Parks Foundation鈥檚 20th anniversary with an exhibition at Alison Jacques in London. We are equally fortunate to view Gordon鈥檚 vast achievements through the critical lens of guest curator Bryan Stevenson.鈥
Bryan Stevenson brings a deeply personal perspective to this curation. Founder and Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama, Stevenson has received the Martin Luther King Jr. Nonviolent Peace Prize (2018) and was named in Time100: World鈥檚 Most Influential People (2015). He is also the author of the critically acclaimed聽Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption聽(2015), awarded the Carnegie Medal and adapted into a major HBO film starring Michael B. Jordan (2019). Stevenson observes that 鈥渢he scope of the images from Parks represents the struggle, resilience and constant striving of Black Americans.鈥 His selection spans 25 years of Parks鈥 practice, from 1942 to 1967, portraying him as a humanitarian whose art and activism were inseparable. By highlighting race, class and systemic inequality, Stevenson ensures the exhibition speaks as urgently to contemporary audiences as it does to history.
From the beginning, Parks approached photography with determination and vision. In 1937, he purchased a Voigtl盲nder Brillant camera from a pawnshop for under 拢12, inspired by photographs of migrant workers. He described his camera as a 鈥渨eapon鈥 against social injustice, stating: 鈥淵ou have a 45mm automatic pistol on your lap, and I have a 35mm camera on my lap, and my weapon is just as powerful as yours.鈥 His early work for聽Life聽magazine broke barriers when he became its first Black staff photographer in 1948, and he often wrote his own articles, allowing him to shape the narrative as he captured it. Parks鈥 photographs combine artistry with empathy, portraying subjects with dignity and depth rather than through reductive stereotypes. The exhibition emphasises the enduring precision and ethical clarity of his practice.
笔补谤办蝉鈥櫬Segregation in the South聽series, including聽Outside Looking In,听Department Store聽补苍诲听Mr and Mrs Albert Thornton,聽remains a cornerstone of documentary photography. Commissioned by聽Life聽and published as聽The Restraints: Open and Hidden聽(1956), the series follows Black family life in Alabama, revealing routines shaped by systemic restrictions alongside moments of everyday joy. His portraits of Dr Martin Luther King Jr. at the March on Washington and other figures assert the humanity of their subjects with quiet insistence. Stevenson notes that Parks鈥 personal experience as an African American survivor of injustice 鈥減alpably informed his work,鈥 giving the photographs their distinctive compassion and authority. These images challenge viewers to confront the realities of Jim Crow through a lens of recognition and empathy.
In his聽Atmosphere of Crime聽series (1967), Parks turned his attention to urban life and the structures of incarceration. Photographs such as聽Untitled, Chicago, showing a prisoner鈥檚 hand extending from the bars of a cell with a cigarette, humanise experiences often reduced to statistics. Stevenson鈥檚 essay聽The Lens of Gordon Parks: A Different Picture of Crime in America聽(2020) illustrates how Parks reframed narratives around criminality, focusing on systemic causes rather than personal blame. The exhibition pairs these later works with earlier portraits, highlighting the consistency of Parks鈥 concern for dignity and justice. His photography balances aesthetic refinement with moral urgency, demanding attention and reflection.
Artists working today continue to respond to Parks鈥 vision, extending his engagement with race, identity and social critique. Deana Lawson鈥檚 staged family portraits echo Parks鈥 intimacy and attention to domestic life. Carrie Mae Weems interrogates historical memory and identity, employing photography to explore Black experience with the same ethical acuity Parks modelled. LaToya Ruby Frazier documents communities affected by industrial decline and neglect, reflecting Parks鈥 interest in the environmental and social conditions shaping human life. Together, their work demonstrates the enduring influence of Parks鈥 approach, revealing how he created space for nuanced, socially aware storytelling.
The exhibition presents iconic images such as聽American Gothic, Washington, D.C.聽alongside lesser-known works, establishing a dialogue between the monumental and the everyday. Parks鈥 mastery of light, composition and gesture renders each frame both visually compelling and morally resonant. The gallery layout emphasises continuity across decades, from segregated towns of the 1950s to urban landscapes of the 1960s, highlighting the persistence of the social issues he confronted. The exhibition situates Parks as both witness and participant, showing photography鈥檚 capacity to illuminate, challenge and inspire.
Gordon Parks: We Shall Not Be Moved聽affirms his status as one of the most significant photographers of the 20th century. By centring his commitment to human dignity, the exhibition draws attention to the ongoing relevance of his work. Each photograph functions as an invitation to bear witness, urging audiences to see as Parks did: with focus, empathy and insistence on justice. The 20th anniversary of The Gordon Parks Foundation reinforces the importance of preserving this legacy while celebrating its continuing influence. Through the exhibition, Parks reminds us that photography is a tool for understanding, advocacy and hope.
Gordon聽Parks: We Shall Not Be Moved is at Alison Jacques, London 5 March – 11 April:
Words: Simon Cartwright
Image Credits:
1. Gordon Parks, The Invisible Man, Harlem, New York, 1952, Silver gelatin print, 86 x 86 cm.
2. Gordon Parks, Outside Looking In, Mobile, Alabama, 1956, Archival pigment print, 163 x 163 cm.
3. Gordon Parks, Man with Straw Hat, Washington, D.C., 1942, Silver gelatin print 61 x 51 cm
4. Gordon Parks, Department Store, Mobile, Alabama, 1956, Archival pigment print, 163 x 163 cm.
5. Gordon Parks, Uncle James Parks, Fort Scott, Kansas, 1950, Silver gelatin print, 36 x 28 cm.
6. Gordon Parks, Untitled, Shady Grove, Alabama, 1956, Archival pigment print, 163 x 163 cm.
7. Gordon Parks, Malcolm X Holding Up Black Muslim Newspaper, Chicago, Illinois, 1963, Gelatin silver print, 51 x 41 cm.
8. Gordon Parks, Untitled, Washington, D.C., 1963, Archival pigment print 61 x 76.2 cm.
