Back in April we accompanied our Grad Scholars as they headed down to the lovely Nottingham for an artist research trip.
We caught two amazing exhibitions at Nottingham Contemporary: One being Cemetery of Martyrs by Dala Nasser. Here monumental wooden trellis structures are draped with funeral shroud fabrics marked charcoal rubbings taken from gravesites of some of the influential artists, poets, writers and filmmakers honoured in the exhibition. To celebrate the lives of those whose graves sites were unknown or unreachable, sand was used to spell out names which were preserved by cyanotype treatments. The towering structures consumed the space, invoking the presence of these creatives while encouraging you to walk under and between the shrouds. Equipped with printed information and context we were able to connect the dots between the powerful voices celebrated and their dedicated shroud.
Next at Nottingham Contemporary was Lines that World a River by Shahana Rajani. This exhibition was a compelling investigation centring on indigenous communities living in the delta of the Indus River. It included a three-screen film installation entailing the practices of painting, drawing, fishing, and the healing rituals that are sacred to these communities. Using explorations of river-maps and sea-murals created in the form of drawings and paintings; Rajani has created a space where this indigenous art is fully emphasized but also respected. Rather than focusing on the colonial obsession and cultural eraser that is imposed onto these eco-systems through creating dams and canals for wider capital benefit, the ethos surrounding this project is a slow and reflective approach, highlighting the care that has been taken while building trust with these communities.
We were then lucky enough to be given a tour around Backlit. After a short talk by Director Matthew Chesney about Backlit’s inspiring history as a successful artist-led gallery and studios, we were led through the organisation’s facilities and spaces by Jazz Swali (Curator and Programme Coordinator) and Marta Marsicka (Artist Development Coordinator). The tour commenced with their gallery which was displaying EDITION26, an interesting exhibition in which some of Backlit’s artist members displayed two works each, each made at different points in their careers, showing the evolution in the way artists approach similar subjects and the development that is intrinsic to artistic practice.
The New Art Exchange was the next stop, showing Our Yard: Foundations a multimedia exhibition celebrating the instrumental impact immigration has had on Britain and its cultural landscape. The exhibition included the slogan ‘What has immigration done for the UK?’ and answered that promptly with artworks, photographs, video installation as well as a record player equipped with plenty of records from personal collections, all helping detail through personal stories and accounts, the importance of the Windrush Generation’s influence with Caribbean culture and its impact on the British music industry.
Last but not least, we were welcomed to Primary by Jonathan Casciani at Beam Editions for a tour of their marvellous facilities. This artist led contemporary organisation and charity has now taken over a gorgeous grade II listed former primary school in Nottingham. The space has a mixture of artist studios, gallery spaces and workshop and event spaces which were not only there for artist development but for community building and engagement. We also had a sneak peak of part of Primary’s newest exhibition Queer Texture which includes newly commissioned work by four artists who have investigated texture as a shifting matter, not as a fixed orientation. Finally we were shown the community gardening space, the fantastic bakery and independent bookshop (Beam Editions), this was an eye opening experience to see a thriving space such as Primary in a time of such uncertainty for communities in need of arts engagement.
Cami O’Hagan and Keira Marchant, Team Assistants
May 2026