Since the late 1960s, Peter Kennard has created politically charged works that confront economic inequality, war, climate change and social injustice. Trained as a painter, Kennard shifted to photomontage in the 1970s, inspired by John Heartfield and the need for a medium that aligned with his activism, particularly against the Vietnam War. His iconic photomontages for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) in the 1970s and 80s remain powerful symbols of resistance, disrupting the narratives propagated by mass media.
 

Kennard’s work often critiques humanity’s proximity to catastrophe, epitomized in his depiction of the Doomsday Clock. Created by atomic scientists in 1947, the clock symbolizes the countdown to global disaster, with midnight representing annihilation. At CND’s launch in 1958, the clock stood at two minutes to midnight, reflecting nuclear tensions. In Kennard’s montage, hope emerges as the clock is brought to a halt – a striking reminder of the potential for collective action to resist imminent threats.
 

Peter Kennard (b. 1949, London, UK; lives and works in London, UK) is a renowned artist and Emeritus Professor of Political Art at the Royal College of Art. In 2024 and 25, ‘Archive of Dissent’, specially conceived for Whitechapel Gallery, marked one of the most extensive displays of Kennard’s work to date. He studied at Byam Shaw, the Slade School of Fine Art, and the Royal College of Art. Kennard has exhibited globally, with solo exhibitions at Imperial War Museum, London; Bluecoat Gallery, Liverpool; United Nations, Geneva; and Gallery Fifty 24MX, Mexico City. Kennard’s works have appeared in publications including The Guardian, The Sunday Times, and The Scotsman, and have been widely reproduced on posters, book covers, placards and digital formats. Frequently shared among activist groups and featured at protests, Kennard’s practice embodies a commitment to political and social engagement.