Through the medium of film and photography, this major exhibition considered how masculinity has been coded, performed, and socially constructed from the 1960s to the present day.
Examining depictions of masculinity from behind the lens, the Barbican brought together the work of over 50 international artists, photographers and filmmakers including Laurie Anderson, Sunil Gupta, Rotimi Fani-Kayode, Isaac Julien and Catherine Opie.
In the wake of #MeToo the image of masculinity has come into sharper focus, with ideas of toxic and fragile masculinity permeating today’s society. This exhibition charted the often complex and sometimes contradictory representations of masculinities, and how they have developed and evolved over time. Touching on themes including power, patriarchy, queer identity, female perceptions of men, hypermasculine stereotypes, tenderness and the family, the exhibition shows how central photography and film have been to the way masculinities are imagined and understood in contemporary culture.
Extended captions are available to download here
This exhibition was also made possible through support from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and a Jonathan Ruffer Curatorial Research Grant from Art Fund
Read the Masculinities: Liberation through Photography online exhibition guide featuring section introductions, gallery map and glossary of terms.
We also have an audio described online tour for blind or partially sighted visitors.
Take a walk around our exhibition with Barbican curator, Alona Pardo. In this full-length tour, you'll learn more about masculinity in its many forms through a range of photographs as we ask: what does it mean to be a man today?
Family Activity Sheet
Get the whole family involved in the Masculinities exhibition with our interactive exercises in our Family Activity Sheet.
Teacher Resources
A downloadable teaching resource is available. Whether you’re visiting the exhibition or exploring it from home, this resource includes information, activities and tasks that will help to bring the exhibition to life.
Masculinities: Liberation through Photography toured to:
Gropius Bau, Berlin: 16 Oct 2020 – 17 Mar 2021
Les Rencontres de la Photographie, Arles: 4 Jul – 26 Sep 2021
FOMU - Fotomuseum, Antwerp: 22 Oct 2021 – 13 Mar 2022
