Richard Billingham
Richard Billingham was born in Birmingham, England, in 1970. He studied Fine Art at the University of Sunderland. He started taking photographs of his family when he was a student. At first, the photographs were references for his paintings.
His family lived in a council flat in the West Midlands. His father, Ray, was an alcoholic and spent much of his time at home. His mother, Liz, smoked heavily and filled the flat with pets and decorative objects. Billingham also photographed his younger brother Jason. The family lived with poverty, drinking and constant disorder.
His family lived in a council flat in the West Midlands. His father, Ray, was an alcoholic and spent much of his time at home. His mother, Liz, smoked heavily and filled the flat with pets and decorative objects. Billingham also photographed his younger brother Jason. The family lived with poverty, drinking and constant disorder.
Richard Billingham
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«Why should I hide my poor background anyway?»
Billingham began photographing Ray when he was about 19. He used a simple camera and direct flash. At first, he saw the pictures as material for paintings, but later he realised they worked as photographs on their own. His university tutor Julian Germain helped him develop the project, which eventually became a book.
The book was called Ray’s a Laugh and was published by Scalo in 1996. It contains photographs of Ray, Liz, Jason, their pets and the rooms of their home. There are pictures of drinking, smoking, eating, watching television and everyday family life. Some images are funny; others are difficult to look at. Billingham himself has said that the book is not simply about his father being drunk.
The book was called Ray’s a Laugh and was published by Scalo in 1996. It contains photographs of Ray, Liz, Jason, their pets and the rooms of their home. There are pictures of drinking, smoking, eating, watching television and everyday family life. Some images are funny; others are difficult to look at. Billingham himself has said that the book is not simply about his father being drunk.
The photographs caused a strong reaction when the book appeared. They showed family life from the inside, without turning it into a conventional documentary about poverty. Ray’s a Laugh soon became an important British photobook. It was included in the Sensation exhibition at the Royal Academy in 1996-97, and Billingham won the Citibank Private Photograph Prize in 1997. The book was later included in Martin Parr and Gerry Badger’s The Photobook: A History, Volume II.
The original book was followed by other editions. Errata Editions published Richard Billingham: Ray’s a Laugh in 2014. In 2024, MACK released a much larger edition with previously unpublished photographs and a new sequence of the work.
At the same time, Ray’s a Laugh raised questions about how Billingham used his own family in the project. Some critics pointed out how carefully the photographs were made, especially since Billingham was still a student at the time. The images show a strong sense of composition and a clear understanding of how to build a photograph. This led to another question: was Billingham simply documenting his family life, or did he also understand that this story could become a powerful art project? Where is the line between telling an honest story about your family and using their problems to build your own career? There is no single answer. The viewer has to decide whether these photographs are a record of family life, a carefully made art project, or both.
The original book was followed by other editions. Errata Editions published Richard Billingham: Ray’s a Laugh in 2014. In 2024, MACK released a much larger edition with previously unpublished photographs and a new sequence of the work.
At the same time, Ray’s a Laugh raised questions about how Billingham used his own family in the project. Some critics pointed out how carefully the photographs were made, especially since Billingham was still a student at the time. The images show a strong sense of composition and a clear understanding of how to build a photograph. This led to another question: was Billingham simply documenting his family life, or did he also understand that this story could become a powerful art project? Where is the line between telling an honest story about your family and using their problems to build your own career? There is no single answer. The viewer has to decide whether these photographs are a record of family life, a carefully made art project, or both.
«If you’re an artist you have to take risks».
Billingham continued photographing his family after the first book. In 2003, Ray was moved to a care home near their home. Billingham later photographed him there with his brother Jason and his own son, Walter. Ray died in 2007 at the age of 74. Liz had died the year before, aged 56.
Billingham has spoken openly about growing up in poverty. He remembered having no heating or hot water and not wanting other children to see where his family lived. Later, he stopped trying to hide that part of his childhood. “Why should I hide my poor background anyway?” he said in a 2007 interview.
Billingham has spoken openly about growing up in poverty. He remembered having no heating or hot water and not wanting other children to see where his family lived. Later, he stopped trying to hide that part of his childhood. “Why should I hide my poor background anyway?” he said in a 2007 interview.
Billingham later photographed other subjects, including the area where he grew up and animals in zoos. He also moved into film. His 2018 film Ray & Liz returned to the world of his parents and was based on the same family history that appeared in Ray’s a Laugh.
Ray’s a Laugh remains Billingham’s best-known project. The photographs began as material for paintings and became a record of his family, their home and the life they lived there. The 2024 MACK edition brought together more images and returned the book to Billingham’s original sequence.
Ray’s a Laugh remains Billingham’s best-known project. The photographs began as material for paintings and became a record of his family, their home and the life they lived there. The 2024 MACK edition brought together more images and returned the book to Billingham’s original sequence.