Dark Tales: British Documentary Photography and the Gothic

With images spanning a period of more than 80 years, Dark Tales explores the complex relationship between the Gothic and British documentary photography, depicting Britain from the post-war to the present era. The photographs in the exhibition reveal waning industrial powers, claustrophobic domestic scenes, and menacing nocturnal activities. Dark Tales brings together a selection of renowned images alongside lesser-known photographs, primarily selected from over 5000 prints in the Martin Parr Foundation collection by curator Isaac Blease. The emerging, playful narrative shows a resilient yet haunted place. It illustrates photography's role in visualising emotions such as fear and fascination while amplifying the Gothic principle that horror thrives in proximity to the familiar.