Derek Ridgers (b. London, 1950) is one of London’s most influential club and street photographers, starting in the seventies with his documentation of the rise of the Blitz Kids, the New Romantics, Hell and Taboo in London. Ridgers originally trained as a graphic designer and worked in advertising for over a decade before taking up photography after testing a client’s camera product. Following a change in career Ridgers began working for the iconic British magazine The Face and the music weekly NME (New Music Express). 

Ridgers documented the British style and music scene as the Punk rock era began to develop in the late 1970s. A founder of the straight-up style of photography, his observational approach to photographing London’s Youth enabled him to capture skinheads, punks, ravers, goth’s and fetishists as well as every hybrid style that has developed from these various subcultures.

Derek Ridgers has published numerous books on his extensive subculture archive, some of which now have a cult status.

SELECTED GALLERY SHOWS:

·      POSTMODERNISM 1967 – 1992, Bundeskunsthalle, Bonn, Germany 2023.

·      THE HORROR SHOW, Somerset House, London 2022.

·      HOLBORN STUDIOS 40 YEAR ANNIVERSARY SHOW, Holborn Studios, London 2022.

·      PHYSICAL DISTANCING, Electrowerkz, London 2021.

·      THE LOVERS, Saint Laurent Rive Droite, Paris & Beverley Hills 2021.

·      BORN BRITISH, DIE BRITISH (with Rene Matić), Vitrine Gallery, London 2020.

·      ESTO TAMBIEN ES IBIZA, IDB Gallery, Washington DC 2019.

·      SWEET HARMONY, Saatchi Gallery, 2019.

·      PUNK LONDON 1977, Rondo Sztuki, Katowice, Poland 2018.

·      DEREK RIDGERS - PHOTOGRAPHS, Truman Brewery 2018.

·      COLLABORATE AT FREE RANGE, Truman Brewery 2018.

·      GOLDEN BOUNDARIES, Robert Capa Centre, Budapest 2017.

·      RUN TO ME, Charlie Smith Gallery, London 2017.

·      COMING OUT: SEXUALITY, GENDER AND IDENTITY, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool 2017.

·      ROCK.FUNK.PUNK Fotografie Forum, Frankfurt 2017.

·      BEHIND THE BEAT, Spectrum, Brighton 2017.

·      FEAR AND LOATHING AT THE ROXY, Neal Street, London 2017.

·      THE SPIRIT OF YOUTH, Janine Bean Gallery, Berlin 2017.

·      YOUTH, D Museum, Seoul, Korea 2017.

·      IN YOUR FACE, Liberty, London 2016.

·      AN IDEAL FOR LIVING, Beetles + Huxley, London 2016.

·      PUNK WEEKENDER, Photographers Gallery, London 2016.

·      FORTY YEARS OF PUNK, Paul Smith, London 2016.

·      SWAGGER & SPIT, Sonos Studios, London 2016.

·      INTERIEUR PARTICULIER, Addict Galerie, Paris 2016.

·      ACCROCHAGE DE PHOTOGRAPHIES, Addict Galerie, Paris 2015.

·      ONE NATION UNDER A GROOVE, South Bank Centre, London 2015.

·      WORK, REST AND PLAY: BRITISH PHOTOGRAPHY FROM 1960s TO TODAY Touring Exhibition, China 2015.

·      DEREK RIDGERS - LONDON YOUTH, Galerie Koll & Friends, Berlin 2015.

·      METROPOLIS, White, Milan 2015.

·      MAUVAIS GENRE, Addict Galerie, Paris 2014.

·      ALL OR NOTHING, Ketchum Pleon, London 2014.

·      IBIZA: MOMENTS IN LOVE, Institute of Contemporary Arts, London 2013. 

·      CLUB TO CATWALK: LONDON FASHION IN THE 1980s, Victoria and Albert Museum, London 2013.

·      AFTERNOON AT THE SEVEN PALMS AND OTHER STORIES, The Society Club, London 2013.

·      HIGHLIGHTS, Galerie Hilaneh von Kories, Hamburg 2013.

·      PUMP ME UP, The Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington DC 2013.

·      50 YEARS OF BRITISH STYLE, Ben Sherman, Spitalfields, London 2013.

·      OBSERVERS: British Photography and the British Scene, SESI, São Paulo, Brazil 2012.

·      BEHIND NME LINES, NEO Bankside, London 2012.

·      SELECTED WORKS, Comme des Garçons Dover Street Market, London 2012.

·      THE ENDLESS NIGHT, The Museum of Club Culture, Hull 2012.

·      UN/SEEN, The Society Club, London 2012.

·      LONDON FASHION WEEK (with silversmith Andrew Bunney), 2012.

·      THE SUNDAY TIMES MAGAZINE 50TH ANNIVERSARY EXHIBITION, Saatchi Gallery, 2012.

·      EVERY BODIES ENEMIES (with printer Danny Flynn) Ketchum Pleon, London 2010. 

·      CLUB F**K 20TH ANNIVERSARY, Antebellum, Los Angeles 2009. 

·      HOW WE ARE Tate Britain, London 2007. 

·      THE LONDON LOOK, Museum of London, London 2004. 

BLACK BRITISH STYLE, Victoria and Albert Museum, London 2004-5. 

·      VERY PUBLIC ART, Selfridges, London 2003. 

·      QUEER NATION, Elms Lesters Gallery, London 2002. 

·      GOLDEN, Britart Gallery, London 2002. 

·      CITIES OF WALLS/CITIES OF PEOPLE, London Arts Cafe 2001. 

·      MAN ON THE STREET. Fabrlca, Brighton 2000. 

·      ROCK AND ROLL YEARS, Proud Gallery, London 1999.

·      ICONS, National Portrait Gallery, London 1999.

·      LOOK AT ME, British Council Touring European Show 1998 - 2001.

·      ROCK AND ROLL ATTITUDES, Maison Europenne de Ia Photographie, Paris 1998.

·      BRITISH PHOTOGRAPHERS, Thames Valley University, London 1997. 

·      NME EXPOSED, Terrance Higgins Trust, UK Touring Show 1995-96.

·      ONE MAN SHOW, City Centre Arts Gallery, Dublin 1990.

·      CITY NEWS URBAN BLUES, Orleans House Gallery, London 1988. 

·      PORTRAITS, East Studio, Canterbury 1986.

·      LES RENCONTRES D'ARLES, Arles, France 1985. 

·      LA MODE, LA VIE, LA RUE, Salle Jean Villar, Paris 1984.

·      SNAP, RAZZLE AND POP, Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool 1984.

·      FIVE YEARS WITH THE FACE, Photographers Gallery, London 1984. 

·      MODE DE VIE, Moscow 1984. 

·      LES MYTHES DE NOS NIPPES, Musee d'Art Moderne, Paris 1983. 

·      CONTEMPORARY BRITISH PHOTOGRAPHY, The Developed Image, Adelaide 1983.

·      WE ARE THE FLOWERS IN YOUR DUSTBIN, Photogallery, Hastings 1983.

·      ZG GALA, Riverside Studios, Hammersmith 1983.

·      SEVEN PHOTOGRAPHERS, Poole Arts Centre 1982. 

·      GROUP SIX, Orleans House Gallery, Richmond 1982.

·      SKIN DEEP, A Critical Eye Gallery, London 1982. 

·      THE KISS, Photographers Gallery, London 1982.

·      THE BIZ, A Critical Eye Gallery, London 1981.

·      SKINHEAD. Chenil Gallery, London and Exeter University 1980-81.

·      SOME PUNK PORTRAITS, Institute of Contemporary Arts, London 1978.

‘On The Blitz Club’ Panel Talk / Symposium “A Map for the Present’ / Post Postmodernism, Bundeskunsthalle Bonn, 2023