3 Minute Wonder grabbed me this week. It featured the work of Vanley Burke, photographer, who has documented the social scene over 40 years. It is now featured in Tate Britain.
Earlier I portrayed Handsworth as an artistic incubator. I have known Vanley for many years and used some of his photographs in schools. They convey an insight into the community in an extraordinary way, and it is just and good that his work should feature nationally and internationally. Vanley remains a modest man attached to the community and alive to social division and exclusion. His work should be known since it offers an education and deep understanding of a dynamic and vibrant society.