I object: Ian Hislop’s search for dissent

British Museum, London

NOW CLOSED

Factory owner from Day of the Dead festival (detail; 1980s), Mexico. Photo: © The Trustees of the British Museum

The journalist, historian and broadcaster Ian Hislop, editor of satirical magazine Private Eye, has been invited to look through the collection of the British Museum and select a group of objects that give a broad historical overview of dissent, subversion and satire. The exhibition spans from ancient Mesopotamia (a piece of early graffiti on a Babylonian brick) to the 2016 US Presidential election – together, they are a testament to the continuous subversion of authority that underpins human history. Find out more from the British Museum’s website.

Preview the exhibition below | See Apollo’s Picks of the Week here

Factory owner from Day of the Dead festival (1980s), Mexico.

Factory owner from Day of the Dead festival (1980s), Mexico. Photo: © The Trustees of the British Museum

Edward VII penny, defaced with the slogan "Votes for Women" (1903), United Kingdom.

Edward VII penny, defaced with the slogan ‘Votes for Women’ (1903), United Kingdom. Photo: © The Trustees of the British Museum

Make America Gay Again badge (2016), USA. Photo: © The Trustees of the British Museum

A Voluptuary under the horrors of Digestion, James Gillray

A Voluptuary under the horrors of Digestion (1792), James Gillray. Photo: © The Trustees of the British Museum

Woven raffia cloth with image of a leaping leopard (1970s–80s), Democratic Republic of Congo.

Woven raffia cloth with image of a leaping leopard (1970s–80s), Democratic Republic of Congo. Photo: © The Trustees of the British Museum