Towering beehive hairdos, gender bending clothing, and marigolds holding photographs against the walls. Tim Walker’s new exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery is full of visual mischief, but beneath the dressing-up lies a history of people fighting for the freedom to be themselves.
His exhibition brings together around 250 portraits celebrating more than half a century of queer activism, community and creativity. Famous faces include Ian McKellen, Miriam Margolyes and Tilda Swinton (looking remarkably like Vincent Price), although some of the most interesting photographs are of people whose names are less familiar.
Walker is best known for his fantastical fashion photography, and spent five years developing the project, moving from campaigners and community builders to increasingly elaborate scenes of performance, desire, and fairy-tale absurdity.
It begins with people who helped secure the rights that later generations would enjoy, including members of the Gay Liberation Front and founders of Stonewall. Some are presented in portraits inspired by Tudor paintings, creating what Walker calls his “queeristocracy”.
The exhibition also remembers the response to the HIV/AIDS crisis, placing healthcare workers alongside musicians such as Marc Almond, Holly Johnson and Jimmy Somerville. It connects the people who cared for patients and pursued treatments with those whose music offered release during years of fear and discrimination.
The Rebel Dykes occupy a darker room.
Some pointed jokes include a naked Harry Styles perched on a wooden fence, or David Hockney, practically invisible behind his perpetual fog of cigarette smoke. As the exhibition progresses, the theatrical side of Walker’s photography becomes more prominent, and the displays join in, while further along, in a room that is fenced off, a Victorian boudoir is filled with nudity.
With so many sitters, there is a lot to absorb, but away from the obvious celebrities, it’s worth pausing at the labels, which explain why someone is here rather than focusing on who they are.
Overall, it’s a softly political exhibition that wears its politics openly but not aggressively, icing queer politics onto a cake of often lighthearted portraits.
The exhibition, Tim Walker’s Fairyland: Love and Legends, is at the National Portrait Gallery until 7th February 2027.
Peak rate prices:
Standard Ticket: £25
Concessions: £22.50
National Art Pass: £12.50
Child 12-18: £5
Child Under 12: Free
Details here.