Photography — 1988; 2020
Untitled #11 from the series 'Pretended' Family Relationships
Sunil Gupta’s series ‘Pretended’ Family Relationships (1988) consists of three-part photo-collages pairing colour portraits of interracial same-sex couples with lines of poetry by Gupta’s then partner Stephen Dodd and fragments of imagery taken at political protests against Section 28.
The title of the series refers to the controversial Section 28 of the Thatcher government’s Local Government Act 1988. This troubling clause prohibited local authorities from promoting “the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship”. It had a far-reaching impact on LGBTQ communities from 1988 until its repeal in 2003, effectively legitimising homophobia, discrimination and marginalisation.
- Category:
- Photography
- Object ID:
- 2021.42/4
- Object name:
- Untitled #11 from the series 'Pretended' Family Relationships
- Object type:
- Artist/Maker:
- Gupta, Sunil
- Related people:
- Related events:
- Related places:
- Production date:
- 1988; 2020
- Material:
ink, paper
- Measurements/duration:
- 24 x 36 in, 61 x 94.1 cm (small surrounding paper border), H 764 mm, W 1118 mm (sheet size) (overall)
- Part of:
- —
- On display:
- —
- Record quality:
- 100%
- Part of this object:
- —
- Owner Status & Credit:
Permanent collection
- Copyright holder:
Gupta, Sunil
- Image credit:
© Sunil Gupta
- Creative commons usage:
- —
- License this image:
To license this image for commercial use, please contact the London Museum Picture Library.