Billy Monk Collection

24/04/2020

'Billy Monk – Shot in the Dark' is now available to stream or download for free.

"Billy Monk. A 1960s Cape Town legend whose black and white photographs of dockside nightlife reveal an underground South Africa, untouched by the division of apartheid. His own tragic story is equally as colourful."

Billy Monk. A 1960s Cape Town legend whose black and white photographs of dockside nightlife reveal an underground South Africa, untouched by the division of apartheid.…

03/03/2020

06/01/2020

South Africa's most beloved clown, Tickey, played by British actor Eric Hoyland, was a regular at dockside clubs like The Catacombs and The Spurs. This short video features interviews with the likes of David Goldblatt, David Monk and Gavin Furlonger discussing the famous Billy Monk photograph of an out-of-costume Tickey in mock confrontation with a policeman. It also touches on a darker aspect of the reality of nightlife in South Africa at that time – police raids in clubs to ensure that there was no mixing of races. The Catacombs was often seen as a place of respite from these apartheid-rule raids, as illustrated by so many of Monk's photographs.
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Thank you to all visitors who made it to the exhibition ‘Defiance and Decadence Under Apartheid’ which opened in October in Hong Kong and closed today at The Container in Japan. This unique contemporary gallery plus Monk’s images allowed for impactful insight into the strong cultural and trade relationship that Japan and South Africa forged in the 1960s.

26/12/2019

Glass Magazine recently reviewed 'Defiance and Decadence Under Apartheid', which is still up at The Container in Tokyo until January 6th 2020.

HomeArtGlass reviews Billy Monk’s photographs of the outcasts of apartheid at The Container in Tokyo Peter Yeoh December 24, 2019 Art, Feature, Photography Glass reviews Billy Monk: Defiance and Decadence Under Apartheid at The Container in Tokyo, and discusses the exhibition with its curator, Sha...

04/11/2019

"Monk's work is all atmosphere and attitude, irresistibly so; his pictures are filled with sweat, smells of smoke and beer and bounce of jazz and pop that filled The Catacombs as these 24-hour party people packed all their restlessness and desire into a single night's romp."

– Edward M. Gómez. 'The "Small-Time Crook" Whose Visions Defied Apartheid'. Hyperallergic. 2nd November 2019.

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www.billymonk.com

An amateur photographer’s images of louche Cape Town nightlife in the 1960s capture a daring, booze-fueled, melting-pot spirit in the face of apartheid.

04/10/2019

Billy Monk silver gelatin prints are on show alongside notable photographers like Sabine Weiss, Raymond Cauchetier, Takeshi Shikama, Stephen King and W***y Ronis at INK ASIA. Find us at Boogie Woogie Photography, booth Q5.

The fair runs from 4th – 7th October at The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

27/09/2019

‘Defiance and Decadence Under Apartheid’ opens this evening at The Hive Spring, Hong Kong.

Join us for drinks by Martell and a performance by DragJam. The party starts at 18h00.

19/09/2019

A great article by The Eye of Photography on our current exhibition in Hong Kong, 'Defiance and Decadence Under Apartheid'.

The Billy Monk Collection has partnered with Boogie Woogie Photography in Hong Kong and The Container in Tokyo to showcase 20 silver gelatin Billy Monk prints, 8 of which have not been published before.

Global daily photo news

18/09/2019

'Defiance and Decadence Under Apartheid' – an exhibition of 20 silver gelatin Billy Monk prints. A must-see according Zolima CityMag.

The exhibition's opening night is on Friday, September 27th from 6 – 9 PM at The Hive Spring, Hong Kong. Have a look at Boogie Woogie Photography for further info or RSVP to [email protected].

South African photographer Billy Monk's exhibition of handprinted silver gelatin prints taken in The Catacombs during the height of the apartheid-era rule.

17/09/2019

Bottles of Coca Cola and brandy are strewn about the tables and floors of The Catacombs nightclub, Cape Town, in just about every Billy Monk photograph. Brandy and Coke was the order of the day – here's a short video that explains why.

'Defiance and Decadence Under Apartheid' opens at The Hive Spring, Hong Kong, on Tuesday 17th September, showcasing 20 of Monk's images, some previously unseen. The show then travels to the INK ASIA fair from 4th – 7th October with Boogie Woogie Photography and then to The Container, Tokyo, from 21st October 2019 until 6th January 2020.