An Evening with Steve McQueen and Gary Younge
How protest shaped Britain and photography shaped protest
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Steve McQueen is one of Britain’s most acclaimed filmmakers and artists. He is the recipient of the Academy Award for Best Picture, two BAFTA Awards, the Caméra d'Or, a Golden Globe, and the Turner Prize. McQueen’s work includes his first feature-length film Hunger about Bobby Sands and the 1981 Irish hunger strike, the Oscar-winning 12 Years a Slave, the BBC anthology Small Axe, and his most recent film Blitz.
On April 25, McQueen joins us live on the Intelligence Squared stage to discuss the themes of his new book Resistance. Accompanied by a major exhibition of the same name at Turner Contemporary, Resistance is a landmark collection of photographs and essays charting a century of British activism. Speaking alongside author Gary Younge, McQueen will explore the power of collective action and uncover the often-overlooked stories of individuals who have been instrumental in forming modern Britain.
McQueen will discuss how acts of resistance have shaped Britain and the powerful role of photography as a catalyst for change. From the radical suffrage movement in 1903 through key moments including the Battle of Cable Street, the Black People’s Day of Action, Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp and the Miners’ Strike; onto protests against environmental destruction, struggles for LGBTQ+ and disability rights; and the largest protest in Britain’s history: the march against the War in Iraq in 2003.
Join us for an evening of art and discussion at Union Chapel in Islington, and have your questions answered in the Q&A.
Steve McQueen - Artist and filmmaker Celebrated artist and filmmaker
He has directed five feature films including the Oscar-winning 12 Years a Slave and most recently Blitz. He is the recipient of two BAFTA Awards and a Golden Globe, and winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture. He was honoured with the BFI Fellowship in 2016 and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2020 for services to art and film. In 1999 McQueen was awarded the Turner Prize and has held solo exhibitions all over the world, including representing Britain in the Venice bieniale in 2009, his exhibition Year 3 at Tate Britain (2019), a solo survey at Tate Modern (2020) and Grenfell at the Serpentine South Gallery (2023). His most recent exhibition is Resistance: How protest shaped Britain and photography shaped protest, curated with Clarrie Wallis with Emma Lewis at Turner Contemporary in Margate, open now until June 1. The exhibition is accompanied by a photography book of the same name.
Gary Younge - Award-winning author, broadcaster and a professor of sociology
Award-winning author, broadcaster and a professor of sociology at the University of Manchester. Formerly a columnist and an editor-at-large at the Guardian, he is an editorial board member of The Nation magazine. He is the author of five books, including Dispatches from the Diaspora; his writing has appeared in Granta, New York Times, Financial Times, GQ, New Statesman, and beyond, and he has made several radio and television documentaries on subjects ranging from gay marriage to Brexit. He is the winner of the 2023 Orwell Prize for Journalism and the 2025 Robert B. Silvers Prize for Journalism.
Margins Cafe will not be operating for this event
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The venue is seating only. All seats are unreserved and are taken on a first come first serve basis. Please arrive early before event door times if you have preferred seats. Due to the nature of our venue, please be prepared to queue for entry.
The venue is fully accessible, with use of ramps and the upstairs bar is accessible with use of a platform lift. Please email [email protected] with your accessibility requirements as soon as you purchase your ticket as requests are dealt with on a first come, first serve basis.
The bar is located on the first floor of the venue and will be open from the stated door time and remain open after the show.
Alcohol consumption will be limited to the bar area only, it is not permitted to take alcohol to the main chapel space. An array of soft drinks and snacks will also be available and are permitted in the main space - please note the Union Chapel bar and kiosk accept card payment only. Strictly no food or drink may be brought from outside into the venue. Water bottles must be emptied before entering the venue, with refilling stations available inside.