The right to protest catalogue
Without Protest society doesn’t progress. But, in recent years, we’ve seen governments becoming progressively opposed to protest.
What does this mean for us all?
Art and design has always been at the forefront of protest. It is the method injustices are exposed and it is the way we articulate new, and often difficult, concepts. It is the place where we express our differences and come together to find common ground. Without art and design protest is just shouting (or worse).
The Right to Protest Exhibition mixes contemporary art and design with historical protest posters to describe how important protest is (and has been) to our culture. And, in turn, how important art and design is to protest.
We should remember without protest we would not have a Welfare State, nor an NHS. This happened because of protests like the hunger marches, when marchers made banners and posters which described the starvation and deprevation they were suffering.
The Right to Protest Exhibition is a call to arms to all artists, designers and citizens. If we don’t defend our Right to Protest we’ll lose it. And, once it’s gone, we’ll have no say on how we want society to develop and no way of fighting oppression.
Smile, it’s time to protest.
Re-imagined Lime Bikes, unknown artist, Shoreditch.
The artworks below are in the order they appeared at The Right to Protest Exhibition at Greatorex Street. Each exhibit has title with a link to more information. Use the article link within each exhibit to find out more.
The exhibition was separated into three sections: COURTYARD, CORRIDOR, POSTER ROOM. This separation used the layout of the gallery to draw the visitor into the space and along a pathway of discovery. The exhibition also featured protest music (courtyard), protest audio and video (corridor) and protest audio (poster room).
COURTYARD
Photo by Michele Panzeri.
All the Banners (Silent), 2018-2019 Ruth Beale.
Photo by Michele Panzeri.
Plinth, 2023, Alexis Bamforth.
Photo by Michele Panzeri.
Watering Coca-Cola, 2023, Alexis Bamforth.
Justice. Miles Glyn.
CORRIDOR
Photo by Michele Panzeri.
Silent Parade, 2025, Ruth Beale
Photo by Michele Panzeri.
Film showing ‘The Net’ being deployed at the United Nations Ocean Conference 2025, Nice.
‘The Net’, supporting posters and leaflets, Ocean Rebellion.
Photo by Michele Panzeri.
Portraits of Civil Disobedience, 2022-2023, Kristian Buus.
Union Flak, 2025, Paul Davis.
Detail from a photo by Michele Panzeri.
The Party, 2025, Joe Hesketh.
Pussy Cat, 2025, Joe Hesketh.
Detail from a photo by Michele Panzeri.
Bandit 2, Joe Hesketh.
Photo by Michele Panzeri.
Mirror, 2024, Alexis Bamforth.
Photo by Alexis Bamforth.
Bust, 2017, Alexis Bamforth.
Photo by Alexis Bamforth.
(detail) Massacre of the Innocents, 2014-2025, kennardphillipps.
NO BORDERS, 2006, kennardphillipps.
John West, Tuna Chumps, Ocean Rebellion / Michael Collins, Clive Russell.
Ocean Boulder Drop, 2022, Kristian Buus.
POSTER ROOM
View from the corridor into the Poster Room, photo by Michele Panzeri.
Seeing Red..Overdrawn, 2025, Ackroyd & Harvey, (First edition 2016).
Photo by Michele Panzeri.
Gustav Metzger’s typewriter and Dear Nature, 2018-2020, John Newling.
Photos by Michele Panzeri.
#Sergina’s Desperately Delicious Dirty Data Delivery, 2019-2022, Elly Clarke with Kit Kuksenok.
The People’s Pennies: as used by Mothers, Enemies of Good Art in anti-austerity demonstrations facing riot police, 2011, Cat Phillipps.
Like, 2025, Richard Mackness.
POSTERS
“For the Right to Protest Exhibition, we have gathered protest posters from the 1960s to today from a wealth of personal and private collections including: Redshoes Poster Archive, Paddington Printshop, Extinction Rebellion, Ocean Rebellion and others.” John Phillips.
Photo detail by Michele Panzeri.
Gathering is Protest, Design is Protest, Art is Protest, Clive Russell and Dave Bell.
Fragile UK flag, Sarah Boris.
They Can’t Make Us All Terrorists, Merny Wernz.
Make Peace Louder, Anthony Burrill and Dave Bell.
The flag of Saint George, Martin Rowson.
Photo detail by Michele Panzeri.
Partial view of posters created for the exhibition by Left Cultures.
Detail of a photo by Michele Panzeri.
Multiple works, Peter Kennard.
Detail of a photo by Michele Panzeri.
Tattooed Trump, Billionaires, Never for the Poor, Michael Collins.
Photo by Michele Panzeri.
Extinction Rebellion ‘Paint the Streets’ posters, 2019.
Detail of a photo by Michele Panzeri.
Fuck Everyone & Fuck Everything, Tired Of This Fucking Shit, Generally Pissed Off With Everything, Mr Bingo.
Detail of a photo by Michele Panzeri.
We are a little worried about our landlord, John Phillips, The Paddington Printshop and Walterton and Elgin Community Action Group.
Docklands Poster Project. Peter Dunn and Loraine Leeson.
Photo by Michele Panzeri.
Poster walls from the Red Shoes Archive and Paddington Printshop.
Fuller list of contributors: Adam Greenall, Adriane Spanier, Affsaneh Oghbatalab, Aiden Sanders, Another Planet, Anthony Burrill, Asia Bordowa, Sarah Boris, Atelier Populaire, Beck Howson, Bisagra, Blacklodge, Brian McHenry, Brian Deighton, Bruno Charzat, Burhan Karkutli, C. Francis, Cat Phillipps, Clive Russell, Colum Leith, Dani Knight, Deema Alawa, Digital Print Colective, Docklands Poster Project Peter Dunn and Loraine Leeson, Dugunus, Edinah, Eline van Dam (aka Zeloot), Ernesto Yerena Montejano, Favianna Rodriguez, Fontaine Capel, Frank Riot, Gia Graham, Grapus, GUPW, Harry Pearce, Haruka Aoki, Hazem Asif, Huda Khan, Jay Talbot, Jean Carlos Garcia, Jerzy Cherniavsky, Jess Purcell, Jo Barnfield, John Phillips, Joint Chapels, Jonny Hannah, Katherine Antanay, Krime, L Rada, Leeds Postcards, Martin Rowson, Matt Frame, Michael Collins, Mwmci Coch/Red Monkey, Wales, Nery Orellana, Nik Koski, Paul Peter Piech, Pembe Aktu, Peter Kennard, Philip Wigglesworth, Pig Meat, Pippa Smith, Poster Film Collective, Printer’s Proof, Rachel Meirs, Radical Poster Collective, Red Dragon Martin Walker and Bernadette Britten, Ricardo Levins Morales, Saiyare Refaei, Sanya Hyland, Sara Emami, Sean Lim, See Red, Sharon Frances, Sheyas Jayarman, Shirien Creates, Strike Graphics, Strike Poster Collective, Tanya Núñez, Thad Higa, Wankers of the World, Weronika Poszkowska.