For five days beginning 21 January, REUNION 79:21 returns queer club culture to Soho through an archival exhibition exploring over four decades of Black queer nightlife and community in London. On view at Great Pulteney Street Gallery, the exhibition foregrounds a history often overlooked, presenting previously unpublished photographs and memorabilia.
Spanning from the late 1970s to the present, REUNION 79:21 centres collective memory and self-representation. In the 1980s, Black queer and trans people in the UK began gathering at underground parties as spaces free from discrimination, forming community through dance and music. Influenced by Black queer collectives in Chicago and Detroit, London’s club scene fused US musical forms with locally rooted genres, shaping a distinct nightlife culture.
The exhibition brings together intimate documentation by Dave Swindells — who photographed the emergence of Black queer visibility alongside his brother Steve’s seminal club nights — with images by Jason Manning, capturing the bolder nightlife of the 1990s and 2000s. Curated by Shaun Wallace, REUNION 79:21 is accompanied by a programme of films and talks addressing themes of kinship, HIV and early LGBTQ activism.
REUNION 79:21 runs from 21–25 January 2026, 11am–6pm, at Great Pulteney Street Gallery (36 Great Pulteney Street, London W1F 9NS).
