Background information
January 31st 2020 marked the departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union. In practical terms it meant the beginning of a ‘transition period’ until a longer-term relationship could be agreed. However, symbolically it was already known as 'Brexit Day'.
The exhibition and photo book project 'The Rest is History' was originally born as a response to the national and international media coverage of this ‘historical’ event. A kind of celebration for the 'Leavers' and an irreversible catastrophe for the 'Remainers'.
Content
In this publication, 'The Rest is History', Alejandro ACÍN questions the construction of history with a series of photographs taken during the last twenty-four hours of the political relationship between Britain and Europe in London. His visual strategy seeks to merge key British historical spaces (Parliament Square and the British Museum) into one, creating a time-based historical cacophony - a theatrical representation of a battle between the past and present - to petrify a dialogue of gestures, expressions and actors navigating towards an uncertain future. Within the parameters of the ‘historical event’ Alejandro ACÍN took these images indiscriminately; seemingly, everything became relevant with the political event occurring just out-of-frame. The Rest is History.