‘Liverpool Through the Lens’ by Leroy Cooper
1 Apr 2023—16 Jun 2024
Temporary display in the Skylight Gallery
The display
Developed in partnership with local photographer Leroy Cooper, ‘Liverpool Through the Lens’ draws on Leroy’s 40-year career as a photographer documenting Liverpool communities.
On display in the Skylight Gallery at Museum of Liverpool, Leroy’s evocative and insightful images are a love letter to the city and the Liverpool 8 community. Accompanied by text written by Leroy himself, the images chosen reflect on themes including racism, justice, the transatlantic slave trade, community, inequality, empire, migration, pride, solidarity, culture, family and regeneration.
About Leroy Cooper
In 1981, when Leroy was 20 years old, he was arrested coming to the aid of a fellow resident in Liverpool 8. With tensions running high between local people and the authorities, due to issues including long-term unemployment, racism and police harassment, Leroy’s arrest was one of the final sparks that ignited the 1981 Uprising, where residents fought back in civil disturbances that lasted nine days.
Following his arrest, Leroy pursued a career in photography to counteract the negative depictions of Toxteth and the L8 community after 1981.
You can find out more about Leroy Cooper at the British Culture Archive.
Image: ‘The Bojangles, Granby Street’. About 1986. © Leroy Cooper