Peter Kennard | STOP

Images

Peter Kennard: STOP

Afterword

Peter Kennard (b. 1949) is one of Britain’s most influential political artists and a pioneer of contemporary photomontage. Since the late 1960s his work has shaped the visual culture of protest, addressing war, nuclear weapons, state violence and corporate power. His images have circulated widely beyond the gallery - in newspapers, posters and campaigns - and are held in major public collections including Tate. A long-time Professor of Political Art at the Royal College of Art, Kennard has consistently sought new visual languages capable of confronting power. He has described STOP as his best work - the most sustained and concentrated expression of his political and artistic commitment.

Peter Kennard’s STOP is an extraordinary and urgent artist’s book, distilling a lifetime of revolutionary image-making into a compelling and poetic visual narrative. Contemporary images of war frequently oscillate between graphic images of death and destruction that repel the viewer in shock and distress on the one hand, and moving image footage more akin to video games that abstract or glorify deadly attacks on the other. By contrast, Kennard’s unsettling multi-layered and monochrome images, merge and overlay different conflicts which are then scratched, drawn over, stencilled and blotted. They underscore the devastating and endless cycle of wars, at different times and in different places, unified by their chilling effects. STOP implicates us as active witnesses in this unbroken cycle of violence and its 'shattered fragments’.
Gilane Tawadros, Director, Whitechapel Gallery, London

Peter Kennard has been producing his politically radical photomontages for 50 years. We need people who keep their focus despite the changing cultural and political landscape. The message is consistent – the message is clear – the message is true. The message is uncompromising, brutal and hard-hitting – but also very beautiful. It’s beautiful because it wants to keep us alive. It’s a jolt of electricity. A shot in the arm. A kick up the backside. You know what? It’s a wake-up call.
Jarvis Cocker

Peter Kennard’s work is a harrowing x-ray of the shadow side of the world that perfectly captures the brutal asymmetries of our age: heavy weaponry trained on broken people, all-seeing technologies and disappearing identities, perpetually exhaling industry and an asphyxiating planet.
Naomi Klein

Peter Kennard’s images communicate a vital message of resistance against violence and war. These previously unseen, early images mark the beginning of his iconic art of photomontage which spans cultural, political and geographic divides with an enduring urgency.
Ben Harman, Senior Curator of Photography, National Galleries of Scotland

Peter Kennard is a no-nonsense political artist who proves again and again that the frightening image is just as mighty as the sword.
Waldemar Januszczak

Peter Kennard's art became a political weapon from 1968 onwards. He became the John Heartfield of our generation and his pens and paintbrushes are still firing.
Tariq Ali

Searing stark images of war and repression, by one of the world's great masters of political art. STOP reminds us why it is so important, and necessary, to defend peace and human rights.
Peter Tatchell, human rights campaigner

Pages: 164
Illustrations: 160 monochrome images
Size: 210 x 140 mm 
Date: 2026
Editions: £28 [paperback] | £18 [eBook]
ISBN: 978-1-912528-66-0 [paperback]