Power of the Image: Jennie Baptiste in-conversation with Normski
Co-hosted with 1-54 African Art Fair, this special conversation brings together two pivotal photographers of Black British culture.
Dates | Sat 18 Oct 2025 |
Times | 2–3.30pm |
Space | Screening Room |
Price | £10/£7.50 conc |
This special conversation brings together two pivotal photographers of Black British culture, Jennie Baptiste and Normski (Norman Anderson), in dialogue with writer and cultural commentator Aniefiok Ekpoudom. Together, they will explore their parallel yet distinct journeys, reflecting on shared experiences, aesthetic approaches, and the mediation of identity through image.
Born to Caribbean families and raised in London, both Baptiste and Normski have used their cameras to elevate voices within dancehall, hip-hop, and youth culture.
Biographies
About Jennie Baptiste
Born in London to parents who migrated from St. Lucia in the 1960s, Jennie Baptiste’s work is widely recognized and celebrated.
The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) holds a selection of her photographs in its collection, and her iconic portrait of Roots Manuva became the first image of a British Hip-hop artist to be included in The National Portrait Gallery’s Photographic Archive
In recent years, Baptiste’s work has been featured in significant exhibitions, including The Missing Thread at Somerset House, Fashioning Masculinities at the V&A, and Black on the Square, a major event hosted by the Mayor of London.
About Normski
Norman Anderson, better known as Normski, is a leading authority on urban and contemporary culture has had a prolific career in the music, television, photography, fashion and journalism. Recently adding Author to his credits with his new book “Normski: Man With The Golden Shutter” The book includes many photographs of Pioneers of the contemporary music scenes and street culture alongside the photographer’s stories and anecdotes from the centre of a hugely influential cultural movement.
Combining his talents for vision and music, Normski's photographic credits have flown the world; his photography on the theme of the "Black British experience" has been exhibited and acquired in the permanent collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and in The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture . His work has been exhibited at Tate Britain, Somerset House, Venice Biennale, Schmuckmuseum in Germany to name a few.
His TV & radio career kicked off in 1991 when he became Britain’s foremost youth presenter on Groundbreaking dance music program ‘Dance Energy’ for Def ll on BBC2 gaining more skills for regular talks & panel discussions with live audiences.
Aniefiok Ekpoudom
Aniefiok ‘Neef’ Ekpoudom is a writer from London. In his work, Aniefiok documents varying cultures and communities across contemporary Britain.
His first book Where We Come From: Rap, Home & Hope in Modern Britain is a narrative-driven social history of British Rap, spanning from the 60s to present day. It was released by Faber & Faber in 2024. Where We Come From was a Dazed and Granta Book of the Year and was shortlisted for the 2025 Jhalak Prize. He is a British Journalism Award winner and was named on the Forbes 30 Under 30 List.
Aniefiok writes for, The Guardian, British GQ, Vogue and more. His work has been published in a range of anthologies and collections, including A New Formation and Keish the Sket (#MerkyBooks) SAFE (Hachette) and Free Wheeling (Daunt Books).
Elsewhere, works on creative projects with the likes of Nike, Netflix, adidas, the Premier League, the British Library, Google and more.
Where We Come From is his first book.
Header image: Jennie Baptiste, Homegirl (from 'Black Chains of Icons' series), 1994