FESTIVAL EXHIBITIONS – Then and Now – Tony Hall and Danny F

Comic-strip writer Danny F! pays tribute to political satirist and 'one-shot' legend, Tony Hall.
'Then + Now' exhibition is part of If Mi Nuh Laugh Mi Cry! Hackney Art Activism Festival and opens at the Vortex Jazz, 27th April.

Born in 1936,Tony Hall was a trade unionist and radical cartoonist who was published in the mainstream press -Evening News, The Sun and News of the World until he got the sack alongside 5500 print strikers who stood up against Murdoch during the Wapping disputes of the mid-80s. Thereafter he continued doing cartoons and graphics for numerous justice campaigns including Hackney Community Defence Association. Tony came to Hackney in 1967 and lived there with his wife and family until his death in 2008. Throughout his life he was a passionate anti-racist and anti-fascist

Self-confessed art-sloth, Danny F (for Francis)!, was born in to a Hackney where Tony's prolific artwork – flyers/posters documenting police brutality, cartoons humorously depicting the police as drug dealers and racketeers etc – could be seen fly -posted on the streets, reflecting the social issues of the day, and the trials and tribulations of everyday people.

Danny F. honed his comic-strip skills working on Skank and Black-Eye magazines in the 90s and has published work for Dazed magazine and the Guardian as well as illustrations for music albums and other features. He attributes his love for drawing to his father, and his days as an honorary member of London's infamous 80s graf crew, The Chrome Angels.