Brighton-made documentary about the role of art during times of conflict to feature at Tate Britain

Co-created with filmmaker Jane Dibblin and Four Corners film, narrated by author and poet Michael Rosen and featuring animation by University of Brighton Illustration alumnus Kate Bilbow, the documentary explores the role of art as a platform for resistance and a beacon of hope during the darkest times.

The film focuses on the For Liberty exhibition, held in 1943 in the bomb-damaged ruins of the John Lewis department store on London’s Oxford Street. Featuring interviews with historians, artists families and archive footage and photographs, the film sheds light on the contributions of refugee artists who fled Nazi persecution and brought their unique vision to Britain.

Following its release in 2023, Art on the Streets garnered widespread praise and won awards at international film festivals, including Best Short Documentary at both the California International Shorts Festival and the Lulea International Film Festival.

Dr Atkinson said:

"It's a wonderful coincidence that my new film, with the Artists International Association (AIA) as its central focus, has launched in the year that Tate Britain is mounting their archival show about AIA, whose collection they hold. I'm very excited that the film will be shown for over a year at Tate and am looking forward to the conversations that will follow".

Andy Friend, curator of the Tate Britain exhibition said:

“Harriet Atkinson’s research and film have appeared at a perfect time to compliment Tate Britain Archive Gallery’s Artists International The First 10 Years. Both display and film culminate in coverage of For Liberty, an extraordinary exhibition held in 1943 on the John Lewis bombsite in Oxford Street calling for an imaginative peace. Being able to show the film alongside key works and ephemera from the event brings the whole to life and adds a new intriguing dimension for visitors to the gallery.”

Artists International – The First Decade, featuring Art on the Streets, opens at the Marie-Louise von Motesiczky Archive Gallery, Tate Britain on 24 June 2024.

The free exhibition will feature works from Tate’s art collection alongside a mixture of material drawn from the archives of the Artist International Association itself, and from notable members including Ewan Phillips, Morris Kestelman, and Paul Nash.