All Power to the People

One of the most powerful weapons possessed by civil rights movement the Black Panthers may well have been Emory Douglas.

Douglas, who is credited as being a pivotal figure in the  development of graphical political art, will be celebrated  in a new retrospective exhibition of his work held at The Outsiders gallery.

The Black Panther newspaper was designed by Douglas and repurposed right wing visual language to express the left wing ideology of the group.

Noted for a consistent basic but brutal visual style, his work was seen to define the resourcefulness of the group and match the diction of its rallying revolutionary diction.

His woks were accompanied by slogans including All Power to the People, In Revolution One Wins and One Dies, and Seize the Times.

A DIY ethos executed through provocative imagery matched with rally cry slogans can be paralleled with the street art of today.  Or the political inspired commercial projects which try to synthesize this impact. 

Emory, now in his 60s, will host live events to support the exhibition including a Q+A session and book signing.

Artwork of Emory Douglas runs from 18 August – 10 September at The Outsiders, 8 Greek Street, London, W1.