REBELS & RENEGADES
The Photography of Jill Furmanovsky
16th November 2024 - 23rd February 2025
Street Level Photoworks are pleased to present REBELS & RENEGADES, a two part exhibition featuring the outstanding work of Jill Furmanovsky and Sheila Rock, two pioneering women photographers who captured the zeitgeist of punk and the post-punk unfolding in music and style.
This exhibition of work by Jill Furmanovsky is presented by Street Level Photoworks in partnership with Rocharchive London, founded by Jill in 1998 and it will be her first exhibition in Glasgow since ‘Was There Then’, her photographic journey on Oasis which was held at the Tramway in 1997.
Her first portrait assignment was in 1974, photographing a young Stevie Wonder for the Melody Maker when one of their regulars was ill. She soon began working with other music publications including Sounds, NME and Record Mirror documenting the shifting tides of music in the form of punk, new wave, ska and reggae with bands such as The Clash, Bob Marley, Generation X, The Ramones, The Police, Madness, Blondie, The Runaways, Joy Division and many more whose images are in the exhibition along with some classic shots of The Slits, and Sid and Nancy in the dressing room at a Ramones concert.
With the launch of The Face and the changing nature of press shots for the industry, the 1980s saw Jill acquiring a studio and a new set of skills, photographing the stars of the new wave such as Boy George, The Beat, Soft Cell, Adam and The Ants, Wham, Japan, Fine Young Cannibals, Spandau Ballet, emerging female stars such as Joan Armatrading, Kate Bush, Grace Jones, Bjork and Amy Winehouse, alongside established acts like Annie Lennox, Siouxsie (of the Banshees) and Pattie Smith. Also included are those seminal influences on the era – Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits, Iggy Pop and James Brown. Jill’s work has led to long-term working relationships with the likes of Chrissie Hynde/Pretenders and Oasis both of whom she directed videos for in the 1990s.
Jill’s book The Moment: 25 Years of Rock Photography (1995) is a seminal work in the genre. Oasis – Was There Then: A Photographic Journey (1997) followed. The book Oasis at Knebworth (2021) was on the Sunday Times best seller list.
Jill has won many accolades for her music photography and most recently includes three awards in 2024 - Amateur Photography Magazine gave her a Lifetime Achievement Award and So.co made her an official Legend for her contribution to music photography. She was also honoured with the ICON Award at the Abbey Road Music Photography Awards 2024.
Jill celebrated her 50th year photographing rock bands professionally in January 2022. Photographing the Invisible – her first major retrospective opened at Manchester Central Library in April 2023 and a documentary about her remarkable archive, The Invisible Photographer, has a provisional release date of 2025.
Exhibition Events
Exhibition Walk and Talk Tour Jill Furmanovsky and Sheila Rock on Saturday 16th November at 2pm.
This exhibition has been kindly supported by Babbity Bowsters/Rab Ha’s.
Additional events: There will be a screening of ‘Since Yesterday – The Untold Story of Scotland’s Girl Bands‘ at The Pyramid at Anderston on Sunday 17th November at 5pm, Followed by a panel discussion and Q&A with the film’s director, Carla J Easton and photographer Jill Furmanovsky, and hosted by Fiona Shepherd. Organised by The Pyramid, tickets here
Banner Image: Soo Catwoman and punk fans at a Generation X gig at Central London Polytechnic , 1976 © Jill Furmanovsky
Left Image: Stevie Wonder, 1974 © Jill Furmanovsky
