Yesterday, Canon unveiled an impressive new urban art exhibition at London’s Pop Brixton as part of a European-wide initiative that strives to highlight the importance of photojournalism in telling the stories that need to be told

The exhibition records the trials and tribulations of being a Grime artist in London, a genre enjoying a breakout period following its recent success picking up a prestigious Mercury Prize in September last year, and seeing a number one album chart in March; a first for Grime.

An image in situ at the exhibition – POP Brixton

The story was shot with Canon’s new pro DSLR camera, the EOS 5D Mark IV, by Reuters award-winning photojournalist, Paul Hackett who is best known for shooting some of the most important news stories in the UK, and PhotoBite went along for the launch event.

An image in situ at the exhibition – POP Brixton

During the launch event, which included a set from the mighty Slew Dem Crew, Paul told PhotoBite, “I wanted to cover the London Grime scene by building up as comprehensive a story about these artists as time would allow. Each and every day they are pushing to make things happen and by the end of the story I was in awe of their passion and work ethic.”

Slew Dem Crew during the launch event

In order to bring the images to life, Canon teamed up with art installation group, Remain Different, a unique trio of friends who have combined their passion for graffiti with their love of photography to present Paul’s photography in extraordinary and unexpected ways. Through their work, Paul’s story is now being shared with the public by incorporating his strong imagery with Pop Brixton’s unique architecture including shipping containers, concrete arches and staircases.

A shot from the series from Paul Hackett, Reuters and Canon

Gabrielle Fonseca Johnson, Editor of Reuters Wider Image told PhotoBite: “Reuters’ photographers have captured some of the most iconic images of our time, often while using Canon cameras. The Wider Image was created to re-imagine news photography, telling the stories that matter in new ways. While the stories in this series have covered diverse subject matter, from depopulated villages in Italy to grime artists in London, they are all ultimately about community and the ties that bind us together. It’s been really exciting to see these stories exhibited as urban art across Europe, and people’s reactions to the installations.”

A shot from the series from Paul Hackett, Reuters and Canon

Richard Shepherd, Professional Imaging Marketing Manager at Canon Europe told PhotoBite: “We feel strongly about the power and importance of imagery to tell stories. Throughout history, we have seen how a single image can change the world. Photojournalists, like Paul and the team at Reuters, are in pursuit of capturing these shots; to trigger debate, inspire action and alter people’s perspectives of the world around them. We’re excited to be working with Reuters to bring the story of Grime music to life London, a place that is synonymous with the grime music scene”.

A shot from the series from Paul Hackett, Reuters and Canon

Richard Shepherd continued: “We have a long history of facilitating photojournalists to capture the stories that need to be told, and the ongoing expansion of the 5D series of cameras is a testament to this commitment. We’re proud that the advancements in our cameras, like the EOS 5D Mark IV, enable photojournalists to capture and document important stories in ways that were previously unachievable”.

A shot from the series from Paul Hackett, Reuters and Canon

The exhibition runs from the 5th – 16th July at Pop Brixton. Don’t miss it.

During the launch event, PhotoBite also interviewed Paul Hackett about his life in Photojournalism. You can find the interview HERE