(Pictured) A set of eleven pigment prints from the work of Charlie Phillips documenting African Caribbean funerals in London.

Ronald ‘Charlie’ Phillips (OBE) was born in Jamaica 1944, and moved to London in 1956. He started taking photographs in and around the Notting Hill area where he lived, of family and friends but also people within the community more broadly – many of whom were from the Windrush generation.

One particular area of enquiry was the vibrant funeral celebrations happening in African Caribbean communities, which Phillips documented for over thirty years. In his own words;

“What I realised was that my photos taken in the 60s, 70s, 80s showed the changes in fashion for Afro-Caribbean funerals. The fashion, the style, the procession, it’s all changed. The dress changes from the traditional colours of black, grey or purple, to being bright colours only; the music choices from hymn, ‘How Great Thou Art’, to ‘I did It My Way’ by Frank Sinatra or ‘Simply the Best’… The question I began asking myself was, “Are we losing part of our culture, should we stick to tradition?”

As well as this set of prints, the MPF Collection includes a full range of publications relating to the work of Charlie Phillips.

MEDIUM
Pigment prints signed to front.

DIMENSIONS
30 x 40.3 – 40.64 x 50.8 cm

PRINTS
12

DATES
1971 – 2001