New Gallery For Leeds

LEED’S White Cloth Gallery – a brand new photography and film gallery and the first of its kind in the North of England – is set to open in Leeds on 19 April with the unveiling of a hard-hitting exhibition which delves in to the lives of London’s gangsters.  

Jocelyn gains unprecedented access into the family's most intimate moments, including funerals, parties and first holy communions. 

The gallery wants to create a socially aware and progressive approach to photography and culture.  Supporting the artistic community, encouraging creativity and working alongside other local art organisations, White Cloth Gallery aims to aid the region’s development as a go to destination for art lovers everywhere. 

Running for seven weeks, ‘The Family’ will be the first work to exhibit at the White Cloth Gallery and will feature pictures from photographer Jocelyn Bain Hogg’s book of the same name.

The exhibition is a follow-up to his successful and controversial 2002 book ‘The Firm’, which documented a thriving London underground dominated by the players who made their names in the 60s and 70s: Freddie Foreman, Tony Lambrianou, Reggie Kray and Joey Pyle among them. 

‘The Family’ features images of the Pyle family, including the heirs of Joey Pyle. Jocelyn gained unprecedented access into the family's most intimate moments, including funerals, parties and first holy communions.

The candid pictures also show the Pyles off duty, relaxing at home, watching football on TV and fooling around with the kids. There are few plastic gangsters here – the exhibitionism of the late 90’s has given way to realism. The game has changed, and the Pyles are astute enough to recognise this. 

Three years in the making, ‘The Family’ honestly captures the everyday lives of Jocelyn’s subjects. He bravely shot the exhibiting works using traditional film – only able to see what his lens had captured once the film was developed. 

Peter Dench photojournalist and co-founder of White Cloth Gallery said: “We’re delighted that Jocelyn’s remarkable portrayal of London’s underbelly will debut at the opening of White Cloth Gallery, Leeds. We wanted our opening to be a true exemplar of the types of work we wish to exhibit and we believe Jocelyn’s extraordinary photography does just that. 

“It’s our intention that the White Cloth Gallery will be a popular space where the work of established artists such as Jocelyn, will be exhibited alongside upcoming local talent, aiding Yorkshire’s burgeoning development as a region of arts and culture.”