A new exhibition opening at Birkenhead’s Williamson Art Gallery & Museum uses photography to explore the cultural position of protest in contemporary Great Britain.
Rebellion! is a social documentary photography project by Marc Davenant. The project includes photographs and testimony from protesters as well as from those who may have been targeted by the protests.
Rebellion! was completed by Davenant over a period of twelve years and includes three of his winning photographs from the Portrait of Britain competition. It explores the social issues around protest, such as the fracturing of social cohesion in blighted post-industrial communities, which fuel dissatisfaction with the status quo.
Marc Davenant is a social documentary photographer who works with marginalised communities and uses photography to highlight social inequality. Davenant previously exhibited at the Williamson in 2023, when his ‘Outsiders’ series captured a snapshot of homelessness in modern Britain.
Davenant said “this exhibition is a celebration of protest as an essential part of our cultural identity. Virtually every human right we have today carries a watermark of those in the past who stood up to their rulers and said, ‘enough is enough’. The right to protest peacefully is a precious but fragile flame to be nurtured and protected against those who would casually snuff it out.”
Williamson Curator Josh Mackarell says “with protest so frequently in the news cycle, Rebellon! Is a timely exhibition. Davenant’s non-partisan view on the causes, actions and impacts of protests creates an exhibition that gives every viewer the chance to make up their own mind about this social phenomenon”.
Williamson Art Gallery & Museum is open Monday – Saturday.
23rd October 2026 – 20th February 2027
Williamson Art Gallery & Museum, Birkenhead