As part of Offprint weekend, Derek Ridgers sits down with Yasmine Akim to talk about what it’s like behind the camera on the dancefloors of queer parties, clubs and raves across generations.
Ridgers was a frequent photographer at Leigh Bowery’s notorious club Taboo, where performers, artists and drag queens alike would come together and escape the outside world. Photographer Yasmine Akim builds on this legacy of club photography through her work documenting the parties and performances at INFERNO, the techno rave that champions trans, non-binary and queer DJs and artists.
This talk will be a rare opportunity to hear from two generations of photographers dedicated to archiving boundary-pushing performance and queer communal joy. No ticket needed, just turn up.
Derek Ridgers
Derek Ridgers is one of London’s most influential club and street photographers. Ridgers originally trained as a graphic designer and worked in advertising for over a decade before taking up photography. Ridgers worked for the iconic British magazine The Face and the music weekly NME. A founder of the straight-up style of photography, his observational approach enabled him to capture skinheads, punks, New Romantics, Goths and other hybrid styles. Ridgers’s work has been exhibited internationally since the seventies. Recently he published the monograph THE LONDON YOUTH PORTRAITS (ACC Art Books 2024).
Yasmine Akim
Yasmine Akim is a photographer, writer and arts educator, born and based in London. Her practice spans portraiture, documentary and socially engaged art, exploring themes of race, queerness, mental health and empowerment. Notable projects include her feminist photo zine Vagina Dentata, exhibited at Ditto Press and The Horse Hospital, and a self-portrait series for Montez Press’s Interjection Calendar. She participated in the I Extend My Arms residency at Art House Jersey, which culminated in an exhibition inspired by Claude Cahun and Marcel Moore.
Tate Modern's entrance is via the Turbine Hall on Holland Street. There are automatic sliding doors and a ramp down to the entrance.
The Exhibition is on Level 3 of the Natalie Bell Building. There are lifts to every floor of the Blavatnik and Natalie Bell buildings. Alternatively you can take the stairs.
- Fully accessible toilets are located on every floor on the concourses.
- A quiet room is available to use in the Natalie Bell Building on Level 4.
- Ear defenders can be borrowed from the Ticket desks.
For more information before your visit:
- Email hello@tate.org.uk
- Call +44 (0)20 7887 8888 – option 1 (daily 10.00–17.00)
