Vanley Burke

Vanley Burke is a British Photographer whose practice represents one of the largest photographic records of the Caribbean Diaspora in Britain. Often referred to as the ‘Godfather of Black British Photography’, his iconic images have captured the evolving cultural landscape of the nation over four decades.

After moving from Jamaica to Handsworth, West Midlands in the late 1965, Burke began his photographic career with the intention of constructing Black history from his own perspective. He has become well known for his documentation of an important era of migration and settlement in Birmingham from the late 1960s onwards and has created an invaluable artistic record of the communities that surround him. His work documents historic moments and celebrates the individuals present within these frames and changing contexts.

Burke has exhibited widely both in the United Kingdom and globally, from local community organisations to the Victoria and Albert Museum and Whitechapel Gallery in London. He continues to connect histories through his substantial archive housed at the Library of Birmingham.