Side Gallery, the photography gallery based in Newcastle, reaffirms the value of documentary photography with the project 50×50. Fifty photographs, signed by some of the most important names on the international scene, sold for fifty pounds each. A democratic and accessible format that transforms the act of collecting images into an act of cultural resistance.
Founded in 1977 by the Amber collective, Side is the only institution in the UK entirely dedicated to documentary photography and film, with a UNESCO-recognized archive containing over 20,000 photographs and 100 films about working-class life. When the gallery temporarily closed its doors in 2023, the public’s response was immediate: thousands supported the #SaveSide campaign, recognizing the archive as a heritage worth defending.
50×50 is the materialization of that solidarity: each print is a building block that helps secure the gallery’s future, finance new exhibitions and community projects, and keep alive a practice that has always given voice to those who often go unheard.
The list of artists involved is a journey through the history and present of photography: from Sunil Gupta to Rankin, from Sam Taylor-Johnson to Sirkka-Liisa Konttinen, along with historic figures like Chris Killip, Graham Smith, and Daniel Meadows. Each artist has contributed an image that resonates with the documentary ethics that have defined Side’s identity for nearly fifty years.
“Side has survived because people believed that documentary photography and working-class narratives mattered,” says creative director Ellen Stone. And this is precisely the heart of the project: turning conviction into action, transforming support into images that enter homes and continue to tell stories.
The prints from the 50×50 project can be purchased here.
Cover image: Bramber Green, London 1993 ©Nancy Honey
