Black Country Type II

Photographs by Tom Hicks

'a startling study of our fractured, crazy place' Robert Plant

Book launch and exhibition closing : Thursday 28.05.26 from 6pm. All welcome.

04.04.26-30.05.26

at the modernist
58 Port Street, Manchester M1 2EQ
open 11am to 5pm, Tuesday to Saturday

This exhibition celebrates the forthcoming publication of volume two of Tom Hicks' ongoing photographic exploration of the Black Country, presenting a selection of new images from the book 'Black Country Type II'.

Following the overwhelming response to Volume I, we've been inundated with requests for more of Tom's work. The second volume features his most recent practice - new images that have never been seen before, capturing a changing landscape before it disappears.

In 2023, The Modernist published Black Country Type, the first retrospective book by visual artist Tom Hicks. It sold out quickly and received international attention, including being listed in Dezeen magazine’s top ten architecture and design books of 2023.  

Black Country Type II is the new instalment in Hicks’ ongoing exploration of the post-industrial landscape of the Black Country.

“Black Country Type stands as a profound meditation on how creativity, place and time inform one another and how together they shape identity. Through his attentive eye, Tom Hicks reveals the Black Country not as a landscape of absence but as one of endurance, invention and light. His photographs do more than depict - they redefine”

Barry Phipps - Art Historian, University of Cambridge

Hicks typically takes photographs during freeform walks and cycle rides through the Black Country region, applying a fine art sensibility to his representation of the urban environment.

In this series of images he applies his unique aesthetic, focusing on words, typography, handmade lettering and signs. He also photographs ‘types’ of architectural features, objects and the post-industrial landscape of the area.

For Hicks, photography is “a medium that allows me to synthesise a wide range of interests, including architecture, design, typography, art, popular culture and history”. 

Known for his trademark compositional style, he relies on direct sunlight to illuminate his subject matter. His work also demonstrates a keen eye for the humour and the surreal in everyday life.

This new volume will appeal to designers, architects, artists, students, the quietly mischievous, and anyone with an interest in photography of the contemporary urban environment.

Black Country Type II will be published by the modernist in May 2026 - you can pre-order your copy HERE.