Chris Steele-Perkins was only two years old when his family moved from Burma to England in 1947. Growing up in Burnham-on-Sea, he recalls being the only biracial person in the seaside town, creating a profound sensitivity to the “other” in a racially-homogenous area of the country. “I’m not saying I had a terrible time but I was aware of being different and not being English, which at that time meant white Anglo-Saxon Protestant,” Steele-Perkins says.
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After graduating from the University of Newcastle- upon-Tyne with a degree in Psychology in 1970, Steele-Perkins began working as a freelance photographer and quickly realized he would need to move to London to make the kinds of stories he wanted. Recognizing a kinship with outsiders, Steele-Perkins was drawn to document British subcultures and urban poverty at the start of his career. Recognizing the camera’s ability to discern and distill the universal humanity of his subjects, Steele-Perkins also understood photography could be used to expose the systems of power designed to oppress the most vulnerable.
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