Hiscox is hosting a public exhibition by an award-winning photographer celebrating the lives of immigrants to the UK.
The photos show children of people who came to this country in search of a better life. The young men and women are pictured with their parents and people who have influenced them, and every photograph tells the story of how and why they came to the UK, as well as the lives they left behind.
They include Hiscox Group CFO Aki Hussain, whose parents arrived from Pakistan in the 1950s. His father fought and was wounded while fighting for the British Army in Burma in World War II.
“Sometimes a smile hides a story of hardship, or the search for equal opportunity and belonging. These parents now watch as their children take advantage of the opportunities denied to them,” says Bill Knight, who took the photos. A former Deputy Chairman of Lloyd’s, Knight is now a celebrated London-based portrait and theatre photographer.
Some of those pictured work in the City, while others are teachers, actors, civil servants or postgraduate students. “The young men and women I have photographed are changing Britain, just as Britain has changed their families. What happens next? The pictures don't say, but this is an optimistic exhibition for a pessimistic time,” says Knight.
“It is a wonderful celebration of the positive fruits of Britain’s openness, tolerance and mutual respect,” adds Bronek Masojada, Hiscox Group CEO. Born in South Africa to Polish parents, Masojada is a proud immigrant. “The winds of war swept my father to South Africa where he created a new beginning. My wife and I have done the same in coming to Britain. Anyone who comes to this country to work hard, better themselves and this country, are people worth celebrating,” he says.
The exhibition is at the Hiscox Art Café in the company’s London headquarters at 1 Great St Helen’s until September 29 2017. It is open to the public between 8am and 7pm, Monday to Friday.
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