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Reflecting on young people's passage into adulthood in London
Eileen Perrier’s new series, Twenty-Two, explores generational perspectives on change and self-discovery. Portraits of Perrier's son and his friends both past and present will be displayed on the side of Autograph’s building in Shoreditch, alongside images of London the artist created with a pinhole camera. Twenty-Two reflects on the complexities of growing up – its anxieties, joys and transitions into new phases of life.
Inspired by Renaissance paintings, each sitter gazes upwards and cradles a mobile phone, a complex symbol of connection and self-reflection. Perrier asked each sitter to consider their own growth and aspirations. Their words appear next to their images on the display, reflecting on a rapidly changing world. The commission will be displayed on the exterior of Autograph’s gallery from April – September 2025 as part of Eileen Perrier’s retrospective A Thousand Small Stories.
Both Twenty-Two and A Thousand Small Stories form part of Autograph’s continued commitment to curate and preserve the legacy of important black women practitioners such as Perrier, and to ensure that their significant contributions to the canon of photography are recognised.
Becoming a single parent when my son was six years old had a profound impact on my personal and professional life; it forced me to reassess the direction of my career and the decisions I needed to make to move forward. Now he’s 22, I realise that these shifts were not just necessary for survival but essential for his growth and well-being. It taught me resilience, adaptability and the importance of creating a stable foundation for both of us.
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Eileen Perrier (b.1974, London, UK) is an artist with dual Ghanaian and Dominican diasporic heritage, specialising in portraiture. Since the 1990s, she has been a photographer and senior lecturer in photography.
Her work has been widely exhibited, including Centre Pompidou (France); Hayward Gallery (UK); Tate Britain (UK); The Photographers' Gallery (UK); The Whitechapel Gallery (UK). Perrier was an artist in residence at Light Work x Autograph (USA) and Kunsthalle Schirn (Germany). Her works are represented in private and public collections, including Arts Council England (UK); Autograph (UK); Foundling Museum (UK); Light Work (USA); Sindika Dokolo Foundation (Angola); Tate (UK); and Wedge Collection (Canada).
17 Apr - 13 Sep 2025
A free exhibition contemplating class, cultural identity and belonging through the photographic portrait
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Supported by Cockayne Grants for the Arts, a Donor Advised Fund, held at The Prism Charitable Trust.
Banner image: Eileen Perrier, from the series Twenty-Two [detail], 2025. Commissioned by Autograph. Courtesy the artist and Autograph, London.
All commission images: Eileen Perrier, from the series Twenty-Two, 2025. Commissioned by Autograph. Courtesy the artist and Autograph, London.
Part of the exhibition: Eileen Perrier, from the series Ghana [detail], 1995-96. © and courtesy the artist.
Autograph is a place to see things differently. Since 1988, we have championed photography that explores issues of race, identity, representation, human rights and social justice, sharing how photographs reflect lived experiences and shape our understanding of ourselves and others.
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