The Rudeboy Returns
Somerset House is currently playing host to ‘Return of the Rudeboy,’ featuring a series of portraits and installations designed to embody what it means to be a Rudeboy in the 21st century. Curated and created by photographer and filmmaker Dean Chalkley and creative director Harris Elliot, the show celebrates the sartorial subculture and all its peculiarities and idiosyncrasies. Over the past year, the duo have explored the growing subculture and taken photos of individuals deemed to represent the lifestyle and attitude of the modern Rudeboy.
The pair have judiciously considered all aspects of the subculture’s lifestyle and imaginatively crafted an exhibition that fully immerses viewers, considering everything from the music he listens to, to the clothing he wears. The rudeboy culture is just as prevalent in the streets of today as it was when it originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s. However the exhibition presents a change in the contemporary Rudeboys of today and the way in which their attitudes have evolved. Their aesthetics remain practically untouched, with distinctive mohair suits and thin ties, however the negative connotations of crime and rebellion have been completely stripped back.
Return of the Rudeboy is on display at the Somerset House in London from 13th June to 25th August.
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author: Bethany Abbott instagram: /bethabbott_ twitter: @bethany_abbott