I rarely write let alone share, but felt it was OK to share because it was a direct result of feeling safe and being in safe company. The topic resonated strongly also.
Community Workshops
This exhibition was co-created through community-led workshops with LGBTQIA+ participants exploring identity, visibility, resistance, and history. Led by artists Nikita Aaashi Chadha and Aaran Sian, the sessions included poetry, collage, and portraiture, inviting participants to creatively reclaim power and space.
The online poetry workshop reflected on gender and sexuality across cultures and histories, culminating in a collective poem layered throughout the exhibition.
Collage and portrait workshops encouraged expression of queer identity and community, transforming traditional portraiture into a tapestry of connection and self-discovery.
“I had an absolutely gorgeous experience at the online collage workshop. Despite it being online, I felt really connected to everyone in their own little personal cosy spaces, receiving a lovingly made package from Aaran. Getting the bits sent to everyone was such a lovely way of connecting us all! Knowing we had the same prompts, similar materials and a mix of things to use was so fun and I loved going through it with everyone. The presentation was beautifully presented and gave a perfect overview of the vibes for the collage – the themes of fluidity power and the collective are so important, always, but especially currently, and the workshop felt like a beautiful reframing of these themes to make them our own in whatever way we felt, purely intuitively which was nicely encouraged. I am so grateful to have been a part of the workshop – my collage is on the wall by my desk and reminds me every time I see it of the collective gorgeous time we all had.” – Online Collage Workshop attendee
These creative acts weave together past, present, and future—honouring lost histories, making space for new ones, and asking how queer people shape and reclaim heritage today. This exhibition is not an end, but part of an ongoing conversation—inviting us to imagine, question, and create the stories that speak to who we are and who we are becoming.
Click here to start exploring the exhibition ➤