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Reviews

“Exploring environmental and cultural issues – his work is enthralling and very alive” – Art Review

Brick Lane c.1984
Brick Lane Launderette. East London 1983.
Dhaka Bangladesh c.1994
Rickshaw in the old town. Dhaka Bangladesh, 1994.
Cheshire Street c.1984
Man smoking in a cafe in Cheshire Street. East London 1984.
Buriganga river with a boat during sunset, 1992
Buriganga river with a boat during sunset, Bangladesh 1992.
Skateboarder. Whitechapel Road, London 1985
Skateboarder. Whitechapel High Road. East London 1985.
Whitechapel skateboarder. Mixed media on canvas, 50x50cm.
Swanfield Street c.1985
Swanfield Street. East London, 1985.
“Swanfield Street’. Mixed media on canvas, 50x50cm. 2018.
Posing for the camera. Liverpool 1979.
Bangladesh 1994
Bangladesh,1994.
Barcelona 2005.
Barcelona, 2005.

“The real Eastenders … he sees not only factors that make the area distinctive, but also traits which it shares with communities the world over” – British Journal of Photography

Rose at 'The Golden Heart' 2002
Rose at ‘The Golden Heart’ Pub. East London, 2002.
Sclater Street c.1984
Man sitting on an abandoned chair in Sclater Street. East London, 1984.
Seven Stars Pub, Brick Lane 1999
The Seven Stars Pub, Brick Lane. East London 1999.
Passing Christ Church Spitalfields. Commercial Street. East London 1986.
evening standard
Newspaper seller at Aldgate East Station. East London, 1985.

Maxwell’s photography is utterly iconic. Back in 2011, Phil Maxwell’s work was used on the programme, marketing materials and signage of the East End Film Festival – testament to how well his images resonate and embody the culture, history and character of the East End. – London Visual Arts

Michael and Deborah in the lift in Pauline House, Old Montague Street. East London 2009.
Underground c.1983
On the underground between Aldgate East & Whitechapel, 1983.
On the phone in Spitalfields Market. East London, April 2018.
Selling tools. Warehouse in Cheshire Street. East London 2017.
Selling tools. Warehouse in Cheshire Street. East London 2017.
Number 87. Watney Market. East London 2017.
Number 87. Watney Market. East London 2017.
Market traders at the Brick Lane Market, Sclater Street 1987
Market traders, Sclater Street. East London 1987.

“His work is a incomparable and seminal resource for understanding the culture and life of the East End of London in the late 20th and early 21st Century.” – Stefan Dickers – Archivist, Bishopsgate Library

Brick Lane c.1992
Demonstration on Brick Lane. East London, 1992.
Vallance Road 2014
Vallance Road. East London, 2014.
TUC Anti Racist Demo, East London 1994
TUC Anti Racist Demo. East London, 1994.
Poster
Commercial Street. East London, March 2018.
Boy walking past posters
Boy walking past posters, Commercial Street, East London 1987.
‘Boy passing street posters in Commercial Street’ (detail). Mixed media on canvas.
Commercial Street c.1992
Commercial Street. East London, 1992.
Police face demonstrators in Trafalgar Square at Poll Tax demo 1990
Police face demonstrators in Trafalgar Square at Poll Tax demo, 1990.
Dockyard Doris at the Brick Lane music hall
Dockyard Doris at the Brick Lane music hall. East London 1992.

“Maxwell’s reportage shots tell of a quiet victory. There is a directness in his work that allows it to look at the overlooked without blinking.” – New Statesman

Bus stop in town. Liverpool, March 2018.
Aldgate 2015
On the 25 bus in Aldgate. London 2015.
Having a smoke and phone break on Vallance Road. East London 2018.
Waiting for a bus, Mile End Road c.1990
Waiting for a bus on Mile End Road. East London 1990.
Lady with walking stick on Bethnal Green Road
Woman with walking stick on Bethnal Green Road. East London 1990.
Having a rest. Watney Market. East London 2017.
Taking a break. Watney Market. East London 2017.
Wearing headphones in Whitechapel. Liverpool, July 25th 2018.
Man wearing headphones on Braithwaite Street. East London 2018.

“Phil Maxwell is the photographer of Brick Lane. He’s created a vast corpus of vibrant black and white photography that is a unique social record. His work stands unparalleled in the canon of street photography, both in its range and the quality of human observation that informs his eloquent images.” – Spitalfields Life

Exchange on Brick Lane. East London 2009.
Carrying a bag of onions on Brick Lane. East London 1983.
family
Passing a shop in Brick Lane. East London, 1984.
Brick Lane anti-war demonstration, London 2004
Brick Lane anti-war demonstration, London 2004.

“Stunning black-and-white photographs of Brick Lane tell the story of east London’s most famous street from 1982 to the present. Maxwell captures the changing social and cultural terrain of this lively, vivacious go-to destination.” – Time Out

Brick Lane c.1983
Brick Lane. East London 1983.
Brick Lane c.1984
Cafe on Brick Lane. East London 1983.
Brick Lane c.1984
Having a rest in Brick Lane. East London 1984.
Brick Lane c.1992
Brick Lane. East London, 1992.
Wearing headphones on Brick Lane. East London 2018.
Independent newspaper review