Photographic Work Exhibited in 'History is Now: 7 Artists Take on Britain, Hayward Gallery, London, (10 February – 26 April 2015)

Photographic work from Billingham's series 'Ray's a Laugh' was exhibited in 'History is Now: 7 Artists Take on Britain', Hayward Gallery, London, (10 February – 26 April 2015). This exhibition offered an idiosyncratic take on the past, present and future of the UK in flux. John Akomfrah, Simon Fujiwara, Roger Hiorns, Hannah Starkey, Richard Wentworth, and Jane and Louise Wilson were invited to explore the nation's recent past through over 250 artworks and objects including maps, newspapers, films, collectibles, artefacts, photographs and models. Spanning 1945 to the present day, their varied curatorial takes on the UK offered fresh perspectives on diverse themes such as the Cold War, protest movements, feminism, BSE, post-Thatcherite society and celebrity culture. Their visual explorations were interwoven with newly commissioned essays, stories and poetry from journalist Sheila Dillon, architectural historian Adrian Forty, economist Daniel Fujiwara, journalist and writer Charlotte Higgins, novelist and poet Jackie Kay, art historian David Alan Mellor and Hayward Gallery curator Cliff Lauson. A large-format full colour publication was published in conjunction with the exhibition, featuring essays, personal reflections and poetry by writers Sheila Dillon, Adrian Forty, Daniel Fujiwara, Charlotte Higgins, Jackie Kay, David Alan Mellor and exhibition curator Dr. Cliff Lauson