Cathy's Art Diary

Small selling exhibition at the Photographers’ Gallery of work by Shirley Baker from her personal collection.   I’ve seen Baker’s work in another exhibition and love her documentary style and knack of catching a moment. Her work traced communities in the North West of England from the 1960s to the 1980s so covering a similar period to one of the main shows in the gallery at the time by Tish Murtha.   I loved a picture a little girl pushing a dolls pram in a huge pair of men’s shoes. Also one of a child at a window with a dog on the front step outside. My favourite was of a 60s couple kissing while leaning on a street sign saying “Honesty”.   Closed on 28 July 2018

Charming exhibition at the Photographers’ Gallery of work by Shirley Baker. These pictures looked at Manchester in the mid-20th century. This was a period when the old terraced houses were being knocked down and replaced by high rise buildings but these pictures show a strange midway world where people were living amongst the demolition work before moving to the new housing. There is a real sense of an embattled community. The pictures of children were wonderful and raised a smile to your face as they seemed to use the frame of a pram as a toy or just hung round the streets. I also loved the dogs many of which seem to be related if looks were anything to go by! Baker had a wonderful eye for a subject and the framing of a shot.