LONDON.- Somerset House announces the complete public programme and exhibition details for Jennie Baptiste: Rhythm & Roots, the first major solo exhibition from trailblazing Black British photographer Jennie Baptiste, opening in Somerset House’s Terrace Rooms this October.
Commissioned as part of Somerset House’s 25th birthday programme, which champions alternative perspectives and diverse British creativity, this exhibition highlights the significance of Baptiste’s contribution to contemporary photography and British cultural history, offering a timely celebration of her enduring legacy.
Born in London to parents who migrated from St. Lucia in the 1960s, Jennie Baptiste roots her photographic process in authenticity and has often turned her lens to the ‘everyday icons’ within vibrant music cultures like dancehall and hip-hop.
Jennie Baptiste: Rhythm & Roots documents the fashion, music, and youth culture of the Black British diaspora in London since the 1990s. The exhibition will span three rooms, offering a visual narrative of the dynamic movements which shaped and continue to define British music, fashion, and youth culture.
The first room will include highlights from Brixton Boyz, a series of late-90s street portraits capturing camaraderie and style among young Black men in South London; Dancehall, Baptiste’s ongoing documentation of London’s dancehall scene since 1993; and Black Chains of Icon, a more conceptual series exploring Black identity through layered visual symbolism, lith printing, and historical quotations.
The section will also feature striking images that explore the significance of tattoos and grillz. More than decorative adornments, these practices have long served as powerful expressions of embodiment and self-definition within Black communities. Emerging prominently through hip-hop culture, grillz in particular became symbols of style, resilience, and cultural pride, together they represent forms of art that move beyond aesthetics, embodying narratives of heritage, individuality, and empowerment.
Jennie Baptiste: Rhythm & Roots additionally explores Baptiste’s deep connection to music and its surrounding cultures. One section features striking portraits of influential artists from the Hip-Hop and RCB scenes, including The Notorious B.I.G., Roots Manuva, NAS, Ms Dynamite, Estelle, and Ty — capturing the charisma, style, and cultural impact of a generation.
The final section of the exhibition is dedicated to Revolutions @ 33 1/3 rpm, Baptiste’s in- depth documentation of London’s late-1990s hip-hop DJ scene. Originally produced for Levi’s store on Regent Street in 1999, this series is presented as diptychs: two photographs shown together to explore different aspects of a key figure, with DJs such as 279, Semtex, Shortee Blitz, MK, Misbehaviour, and Dj Pogo, and Cutmaster Swift featured.
The exhibition highlights Baptiste's immersion with record store culture, particularly at Deal Real, a pivotal spot where she built connections with many of the DJs she photographed. Each DJ featured in this exhibition has created a mix that ranges from 1989 to 2003. Visitors can listen to these mixes through headphones in the gallery, designed to recreate the once-common practice of discovering new music in record shops. The listening stations offer an immersive, analogue experience that brings the in-store ritual back to life, where music wasn’t just consumed but experienced, debated, and shared.
In addition to this, DJ Shortee Blitz, who was photographed by Jennie as part of Revolutions @ 33 1/3rpm, will be mastering the decks at the Somerset House open air ice rink, as part of Jennie Baptiste Skate Lates, while DJ 279 and turntablist and producer DJ Pogo, who are also featured in Revolutions @ 33 1/3rpm, will take part in the Jennie Baptiste Upgrade Yourself takeover.
Jennie Baptiste: Rhythm & Roots will coincide with the return of 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, the world's only international art fair dedicated to contemporary African art and its diaspora, which comes to Somerset House for its 13th edition in London between 16 – 19 October.
Jennie Baptiste has been specially commissioned to shoot portraits of the recipients of Somerset House's Talent 25 initiative, to showcase the creative connection and diverse creativity that is fostered at Somerset House. These portraits will be exhibited during Somerset House’s Step Inside 25th Birthday weekend, and throughout the Jennie Baptiste: Rhythm & Roots exhibition.
Kinnari Saraiya, Curator of Jennie Baptiste: Rhythm & Roots, said: “We are delighted to announce our full public programme, and reveal more details about, Jennie Baptiste: Rhythm & Roots. This exhibition is a key part of Somerset House’s 25th Birthday programming, and it is an honour to host Jennie’s first major solo exhibition. Rhythm & Roots highlights the significant impact of her work, giving it the recognition it has long deserved.
“While Jennie’s photographs have been showcased in some groundbreaking exhibitions over many years, including in ‘The Missing Thread’ at Somerset House in 2023, this is a real opportunity to spotlight her trailblazing three-decade long photography practice.”
