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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260412T103000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260412T123000
DTSTAMP:20260501T004741
CREATED:20260407T091221Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260408T042800Z
UID:10000613-1775989800-1775997000@counterpoints.org.uk
SUMMARY:To Re-Cite: Ayat al-Kursi - Sound\, Faith\, and Collective Listening
DESCRIPTION:We warmly invite you to a workshop as part of the wider development of our newly co-commissioned project with artist Aliaskar Abarkas\, exploring sound\, music\, and listening through faith and collective experience. \nThe session brings together members of our community with Muslim backgrounds to share ideas\, and reflections on how sonic practices – from recitation and prayer to breath\, rhythm\, and silence – shape spiritual\, emotional\, and communal life. The starting point of the project is the Quranic verse Ayat al-Kursi\, whispered across generations\, transmitted as both lullaby and sonic protection. \nThis session is the first in a series of workshops forming part of a longer-term project. \nFurther confirmed sessions will take place on: Sun 26 Apr\, Sun 17 May\, and Sun 31 May. \nAliaskar Abarkas is an Iranian artist based in London. \nRooted in alternative and communal art education\, his practice stages choreographic encounters that move from individual elements into collective expression. Often in dialogue with historical sources\, Abarkas builds collaborative frameworks that invite participants to interpret and activate inherited scores through music\, exhibition\, and performance-making. \nHe is currently an Associate Artist at Sadler’s Wells / Rose Choreographic School (London\, 2024–26) and Lead Artist at Autograph Gallery (Acts of Solidarity\, in partnership with All Change\, London\, 2025–28). He holds a BA in Visual Cultures from the University of Tehran and an MA in the Theory of Contemporary Art and Politics from Goldsmiths\, University of London. Previous residencies include Cubitt Gallery and the Swiss Church (London)\, as well as Rupert (Lithuania)\, the Institute of Postnatural Studies (Madrid)\, Castro (Rome)\, Open School East\, and Syllabus V (UK)\, among others. \nHis work has been supported by institutions including the Barbican Centre\, ICA\, The Mosaic Rooms\, TACO!\, Pushkin House\, LUX (London)\, CAPC (Bordeaux)\, LOCALES (Rome)\, Scuola Piccola Zattere (Venice)\, and CIRCA. Upcoming projects include commissions and collaborations with Arts Catalyst (Sheffield)\, YDP Foundation (London)\, and the Singapore Art Museum. \nCo-commissioned by Counterpoints Arts and Whitechapel Gallery. \nImage credit: Anne Tetzlaf
URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/to-re-cite-ayat-al-kursi-sound-faith-and-collective-listening/
LOCATION:Clore Creative Studio\, Clore Creative Studio\, Whitechapel Art Gallery\, 77-82 Whitechapel High St\, London\, E1 7QX
CATEGORIES:Community & Participation,Sound Art,Visual Arts
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Photo-credit-©-Anne-TetzlafDSC01760-1170x655-1.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260409
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260419
DTSTAMP:20260501T004741
CREATED:20260330T163029Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260401T142923Z
UID:10000611-1775692800-1776556799@counterpoints.org.uk
SUMMARY:Uprooted
DESCRIPTION:Ieva Sudargaite Douaihi presents new work in response to a time of mass displacement in Lebanon\, continuing the twinning and solidarity between OUTPOST in Norwich and Takeover Beirut. \nThe photographic prints featured in this exhibition will be available for purchase\, with all proceeds donated to Buzuruna Juzuruna. \nLocated in the Bekaa Valley\, Buzuruna Juzuruna operates a vital heirloom seed library and educational farm. Their work mirrors the themes of this exhibition: a commitment to the native landscape and a refusal to let the roots of Lebanese ecology be swept away. They have been chosen not only for their immediate impact but for their long-term mission to secure a sustainable\, local future for the region’s agriculture. \nCounterpoints first worked with OUTPOST last October to present work by Maria Proshkowska as part of Platforma 2025\, and we are delighted to be able to collaborate again to bring this important new exhibition to the UK. \nIeva Saudargaite Douaihi is a transdisciplinary artist working at the intersection of photography\, architecture\, and material research. Rooted in an ongoing exploration of vernacular landscapes\, memory\, and overlooked ecologies\, her practice spans image- making\, spatial interventions\, and hybrid objects composed of found objects\, natural matter and household materials. Drawing on her background in architecture and a deep sensitivity to ecological and social entanglements\, she engages with overlooked spaces and slow processes of growth\, decay\, and adaptation. \nThrough layered relationships between nature\, memory\, and the built environment\, Douaihi explores how spaces carry histories\, absences\, and the potential for renewal. Her work gives form to questions of permanence\, access\, and belonging—unfolding as quiet gestures that trace the ways in which people and places shape\, resist\, or intertwine with one another.
URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/uprooted/
LOCATION:OUTPOST Gallery\, 10b Wensum Street\, Norwich\, NR3 1HR\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Visual Arts
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-30-at-17.19.12.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260228T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260301T160000
DTSTAMP:20260501T004741
CREATED:20260203T172526Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260203T172851Z
UID:10000593-1772272800-1772380800@counterpoints.org.uk
SUMMARY:Once We Were Held – SHARP
DESCRIPTION:An immersive installation created with sound\, scent\, visuals\, sculpture and LGBTQIA+ history. \nInspired by the Bethany Project in Bodmin – a radical place of rest and care for people with HIV/AIDS in the 80s and 90s – this installation invites us into a space of rest\, reflection and queer community. \nReclaiming daffodils as a symbol of queer resilience\, the installation connects LGBTQIA+ care with the landscapes of Cornwall. \nDeveloped with Queer Kernow and supported by Screen Cornwall & Creative Kernow Associates’ Immersive Innovation programme (part-funded by Cornwall Council from the Culture and Creative Industries Innovation Fund). Co-commissioned with Counterpoints Arts. \n\nSHARP’s Website\nSHARP’s Instagram\n\nAbout the Artist\nSHARP is a queer\, working class\, socially engaged artist\, activist\, and producer whose interdisciplinary approach incorporates experimental video\, photography\, sculpture\, and sound installations. Their work investigates the human condition from a queer perspective\, focusing on themes of remembrance from both personal and collective experiences. \nBased in Cornwall\, with a studio at Trewarveneth in Newlyn\, SHARP works across the UK and internationally. Their artwork is represented in several private and national public collections\, including Leeds Art Gallery\, Bradford Museums and Galleries\, and the Salford University Art Collection. Recently\, SHARP received an Artist Award from the Henry Moore Foundation and\, in 2024\, won the overall title at The Exeter Contemporary Art Prize. \nCurrently\, SHARP is exhibiting in the Plant Dreaming exhibition at Leeds Art Gallery and in She Sells Seashells at the Alice Austin House on Staten Island\, New York. Most recent exhibitions and performances have taken place at venues such as The Loading Bay Bradford City of Culture\, Yorkshire Sculpture Park\, Newlyn Art Gallery & The Exchange in Cornwall\, The Whitaker Museum\, Cartwright Hall Bradford\, VOID Derry\, and The Gallery 78 in Reykjavik\, Iceland. \nSHARP was the lead artist and creative director of the queer contemporary arts and heritage project KOMPAS with Queer Kernow and Decoder. The installation Once We Were Held was inspired by the research on this project.
URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/once-we-were-held-sharp/
LOCATION:St Petroc’s Church\, Church Square\, Priory Road\, Bodmin\, Cornwall\, PL31 2DP
CATEGORIES:Visual Arts
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Sharp-7b509f97-4272-4607-83c3-e15e5d397304-1.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20251031
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20251103
DTSTAMP:20260501T004741
CREATED:20251023T123943Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251023T123943Z
UID:10000583-1761868800-1762127999@counterpoints.org.uk
SUMMARY:In Between Meals & Dreams
DESCRIPTION:A new exhibition of work by Yayen & Jessa GY  and Mohammad Noureddini. \nPresented as part of Platforma 2025\, produced and co-commissioned by Counterpoints Arts.
URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/in-between-meals-dreams/
LOCATION:Artworks and Artspace\, 5 Green's Road\, Cambridge\, CB4 3EF\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Platforma,Visual Arts
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Screen-Shot-2025-10-23-at-13.37.31.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20251017
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20251020
DTSTAMP:20260501T004741
CREATED:20250914T075757Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251015T121705Z
UID:10000572-1760659200-1760918399@counterpoints.org.uk
SUMMARY:Refugees Welcome Here
DESCRIPTION:Refugees Welcome Here: Cambridge Artworks welcomes refugees and asylum seekers.\nPresented as part of the Platforma Festival 2025\, produced by Counterpoints Arts. \nFriday 17 th October to Sunday 19 th October\n12 to 6pm\nPreview Friday 17 th October 7pm to 9pm \nThis show brings together the work of studio artists based at Cambridge Artworks and refugees in Cambridge. \nSeveral of the Artworks studio artists have been working alongside refugees and creating art about displacement for many years\, some are migrants or refugees themselves. This exhibition enables us to demonstrate our solidarity and continued\nsupport for refugees in Cambridge and the UK. \nContributing Artists\nJan Ayton\nAnna Brownsted\nRachel Dormor\nJill Eastland\nAli Hunte\nKiarash Khazaei\nSusan Mealing\nIdit Nathan\nMohammad Noureddini\nDell Olsen\nMojgan Rajabpour\nSally Todd\nSarah Wood\nRachel Wooller\nJohn Yayen\nSanam Yousef\nAdditional women refugees attending Cambridge Women’s Resources Centre \nMain image: “Sanam’s Journey”
URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/refugees-welcome-here/
LOCATION:Cambridge Artworks and Artspace\, 5 Green's Road\, Cambridge\, CB4 3EF\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Platforma,Visual Arts
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Sanams-Journey.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20251015
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20251020
DTSTAMP:20260501T004741
CREATED:20250902T120721Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250902T120829Z
UID:10000567-1760486400-1760918399@counterpoints.org.uk
SUMMARY:Back To Where We Came From
DESCRIPTION:Emanuela Cusin & Sarah Wood\nOpen: 11-5pm \nCo-commissioned and presented as part of the Platforma Festival (October 2025) produced by Counterpoints Arts. \nBack to Where We Came From is an installation made in response to St Peter’s\, Cambridge – an ancient church whose history is rooted in the idea of sanctuary. The church was not only a site of welcome for travellers arriving in the north of the city but was also\, until the early 17th century\, a site in which a fugitive could temporarily rest\, immune from arrest\, a space apart from the legal process of the state. \nNow in a time of closing borders\, when the idea about who belongs and who doesn’t is at the forefront of the world’s right-wing ideological preoccupation Back To Where We Came From will inhabit this historical space to ask how sanctuary today can operate to provide containment and enable reparation in the wider world. \nTaking the artist Gustav Metzger’s aesthetic response to the aftermath of WW2 deportation as a shared starting point artists Emanuela Cusin and Sarah Wood will create an installation that will offer visitors not only the space to imagine future possibilities that counter exclusionary political rhetoric but also to consider how art itself can model hospitality. \nKey works: \nBREAKING POINT \nEmanuela Cusin \nMixed media\, 2025 \nIn a time characterised by economic crises\, political conflict and natural disaster\, we find ourselves caught in a prolonged state of anticipation where anxiety about the future is born from our seeming inability to prevent further catastrophes. \nBreaking Point not only mobilises but also critically interrogates this dark presentiment and perceived powerlessness. Taking inspiration from the ever-changing nature of materials exposed to physical and environmental processes\, Gustav Metzger’s auto-destructive art manifesto and trauma studies\, the work creates a visual and poetic parallelism between the physical and psychological impact of destructive events.\nemanuelacusin.com \nLAND OF THE FREE \nSarah Wood \nMulti-media installation\, 2025 \nAlmost 3000 years ago the Assyrian empire deployed the policy of deportation for the very first time. 4\,000\,000 people were forcedly resettled over 250 years\, in the service of colonisation. \nFast-forward to the 21st century. In a time of spluttering political soundbite deportation continues to be the most common form of immigration enforcement across the world. It’s a policy that couples a fantasy of origin with the idea that resettlement is an action without consequence for the world’s settled populations. \nOut of sight\, out of mind? Land of the Free – will bring into focus the ethics and aesthetics of this economy of visibility/invisibility. Using family archives\, lessons from history and contemporary stories of forced removal\, Land of the Free will offer viewers the space to think about a process more usually elided from wider cultural view. \nsarahwoodworld.com \nThank you: \nAndrews Nairne\, Guy Haywood\, Tom Noblett and all the team (Kettle’s Yard\, Cambridge) \nKaren Moore (Churches Conservation Trust) \nTom Green and all the team (Counterpoints) \nRuth Campbell – Ekins and Sarah Steenhorst (METAL\, Peterborough)
URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/back-to-where-we-came-from/
LOCATION:St Peter’s Church\, Castle St\, Cambridge\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Platforma,Visual Arts
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Land-of-the-Free-Sarah-Wood-1-BW-square.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20251014
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20251027
DTSTAMP:20260501T004741
CREATED:20250721T141103Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251003T100517Z
UID:10000539-1760400000-1761523199@counterpoints.org.uk
SUMMARY:Confluence
DESCRIPTION:Confluence: a place where ideas merge or flow together\nAn exhibition curated and co-ordinated by Shathy Bano exploring cultural influence\, identity and belonging in the community with a two-week programme of collaborative artwork\, interactive workshops & conversations. \nCo-commissioned and presented as part of the Platforma Festival (October 2025) produced by Counterpoints Arts. \nCommunity gathering 18 October\, 1-4pm \nThis year community artist Shathy Bano has facilitated a series of 20 art sessions involving a total of over 40 participants with experience of migration in various small group settings. The sessions involved conversations exploring cultural influence\, memory\, identity and language\, using visual art as a tool for expression. \nThe exhibition at Anteros Arts Foundation brings all of the artwork together from different sessions and includes a programme of workshop activities that a free and drop-in. \nThe community gathering on the 18th is a celebration of the connections made by everyone who has participated in the projects. \nShathy Bano is a Bengali British visual artist with an extensive background in social work and therapeutic community art. Shathy focuses on cultural identity\, transformation and loss. As a child migrant herself\, her art practice draws on her life experience to create visual expressions of intersectional identity and cultural exchange through the generations\, representing how this relates to the evolving\, yet transitory notion of home and place. \nShathy has worked with Norfolk libraries and other community groups for several years leading art sessions. The creative sessions explores the links between culture\, language and place to explore belonging and connection working collaboratively with groups. \nThe exhibition is a collation of the various artwork undertaken over the past year through different projects and the connections and networks made. There is an opportunity to view the artwork\, and the two week programme provides a variety of art sessions and time and space for creativity and conversation. \n 
URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/confluence/
LOCATION:Anteros\, 11-15 Fye Bridge Street\, Norwich\, NR31LJ\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Platforma,Visual Arts
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/20250620_134133.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20251014
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20251026
DTSTAMP:20260501T004741
CREATED:20250818T094751Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250819T082830Z
UID:10000550-1760400000-1761436799@counterpoints.org.uk
SUMMARY:Gaza Remains The Story
DESCRIPTION:Created by The Palestine Museum: “In loving memory of the late Hikmat Maher Kaddoura\, may his soul rest in eternal peace” \nPresented by Diss Palestine Solidarity as part of the Platforma Festival (October 2025) produced by Counterpoints Arts. \nGaza Remains the Story exhibits the cause and context of the Palestinian experience\, focusing on the land\, places\, and people of Gaza. The exhibition strives to inform\, educate\, and narrate stories of historical locations and cultural practices in Gaza\, providing a glimpse into Gaza’s arts\, aspirations\, and uniqueness—what remains of it in these harsh times. \nWhile the deafening noise of never-ending bombardment drowns out the daily life\, heritage\, artistic expression\, and creativity of the people of Palestine\, this exhibition strives to look behind the curtains of the theatre of war and conquest. By narrating the stories of Gaza and countering misinformation\, “Gaza Remains the Story” aims to provide a global audience with information and references to contextualise Gaza within Palestine\, the region\, and the world. This exhibition employs text\, drawings\, and audiovisual material to explore historical\, economic\, geographic\, demographic\, and creative aspects of life in Gaza. \n \n \nArtist: Malak Mattar\nTitle: When Family is the Only Shelter\, 2022 \nOil on Canvas\, 60 x 50cm\nCourtesy of the Ghiath and Nadia Sukhtian Collection
URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/gaza-remains-the-story/
LOCATION:The Ballroom\, No 8 Marketplace\, Diss\, IP22 4AB\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Platforma,Visual Arts
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=application/pdf:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Platforma-Landscape-Artwork-Image.pdf
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251013T140000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251013T150000
DTSTAMP:20260501T004741
CREATED:20250922T153730Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251008T073734Z
UID:10000576-1760364000-1760367600@counterpoints.org.uk
SUMMARY:Embers of Care by Yayen
DESCRIPTION: Embers of Care by Yayen – Online Presentation\n\nPlease email hello@counterpoints.org.uk to receive the online link \nPresented in association with Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust as part of the Platforma Festival (October 2025) produced by Counterpoints Arts. \n“Embers of Care” is a 100-artwork series by Yayen\, a nurse\, migrant\, and artist\, dedicated to honouring the journeys\, resilience\, and contributions of migrant healthcare workers in the UK. This project sheds light on the often-overlooked everyday realities within the healthcare system. \nEach artwork tells a unique story. There’s the nurse from Zimbabwe\, who arrived with excitement\, only to be met by Britain’s “summer” chill at 15°C. A Burmese medical student\, a refugee\, adding a layer of loss while losing a loved one to war while striving to rebuild her life here. A Nigerian physiotherapist\, who spent months familiarizing himself with British television\, only to struggle with the many regional accents that left him not understanding anything during his first handover. Similarly\, a mental health nurse from Turkey discovered that the diversity of international accents—such as British-Indian\, British-African\, and British-European among many—made learning a new language all the more challenging. \nAmong these stories are the unsung heroes like Fred\, who answers emergency calls at night. He reminds his colleagues that in countries like Kenya or the Philippines\, they don’t have heaters and its something that most people should understand. \nThis 2025\, Yayen has collaborated with 19 NHS Trusts\, gathering narratives from migrant healthcare workers across England\, informing him and giving inspiration to his artwork. Through these portraits and stories\, he illustrates the ways in which migrants navigate cultural shifts\, isolation\, and personal sacrifices as they cross borders and build bridges to new communities. His goal is to celebrate these experiences\, fostering empathy and solidarity among all.
URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/embers-of-care-by-yayen/
CATEGORIES:Platforma,Visual Arts
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Embers-of-Care-3.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251011T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251012T170000
DTSTAMP:20260501T004741
CREATED:20250815T152353Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251001T083911Z
UID:10000547-1760176800-1760288400@counterpoints.org.uk
SUMMARY:DIASPORA
DESCRIPTION:Cambridge Black Creatives annual exhibition: DIASPORA. \n11th – 12th Oct. 10am – 5pm\nPrivate View Fri 10th 6pm -8pm \nCo-commissioned and presented as part of the Platforma Festival (October 2025) produced by Counterpoints Arts. \nCambridge Black Creatives is a unique arts collective supporting black and brown creative people in Cambridge. They host imaginative workshops for art making and honest discussion on racial issues. Non-artists and allies are always welcome\, and we hold a yearly exhibition to celebrate the artwork of our community. This year’s show\, DIASPORA explores our experience of migration. The show displays a diverse range of creative talent from oil painting to installation\, and textile art to sculpture. \nAt the opening we will be launching a new collection of poetry “An Outsider Inside – Verse and Rhymes from Post-Truth Times” by Lee Codrington. \nWorkshop: Sunday 12th 2.22pm: Asim Khairdean will be running his 2-hour workshop DETOURNE DEFACE DECOLONISE a flag-making workshop looking\nat the history of the diaspora in decolonial art movements and an opportunity to try out their techniques.
URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/diaspora/
LOCATION:Artworks and Artspace\, 5 Green's Road\, Cambridge\, CB4 3EF\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Platforma,Visual Arts
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/DIASPORA-poster-crop.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251005T150000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251005T173000
DTSTAMP:20260501T004741
CREATED:20250830T191934Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250830T195641Z
UID:10000554-1759676400-1759685400@counterpoints.org.uk
SUMMARY:Creative Peer Meetup and Sharing: Leaving Were the Ones Who Could Not Stay
DESCRIPTION:Metal Peterborough present a reflective session with exhibiting artists Olga Jurgenson and Idit Nathan\, part of a long-standing mentoring group.\nCo-commissioned and presented as part of the Platforma Festival (October 2025)\, produced by Counterpoints Arts. \nFull information and free booking  \nLeaving Were The Ones Who Could Not Stay is an exhibition presented by the Broadway Gallery in Letchworth featuring the work of Beverley Carruthers\, Bettina Furnée\, Olga Jürgenson and Idit Elia Nathan as part of Platforma 2025. \nThe exhibition features four Cambridge-based artists who explore the socio-political forces shaping familial bonds\, migration\, and intergenerational memory. Through sound\, video\, collage\, and interactive installations\, they draw on personal histories\, interviews\, found material and family archives to reimagine borders\, displacement\, and the meaning of home. \nThis collectively created project encourages sharing of prescient stories of migration and displacement to question societal change and bonds. \nImage: Olga Jurgenson_Aleksander and Arnold from Snezhinki (Snowflakes). 2025 prints on mixed media\, collaged on paper\, 42×59.4 cm \nAbout Platforma in Peterborough \nPlatforma 2025 in Peterborough is produced by 62 Gladstone Street\, a community-rooted arts space in the heart of Peterborough with a particular focus on supporting South Asian and MENA artists. Through exhibitions\, residencies\, and public programmes\, it provides a vital platform for underrepresented voices and fosters meaningful dialogue between artists and the wider community. \nPartners: Counterpoints Arts\, Landmark Theatres\, Peterborough Cultural Alliance\, Metal Peterborough\, Peterborough Presents\, Peterborough Museum\, HELP Charity & the Aziz Foundation \nDedication: “Our programme is dedicated to the innocent men\, women\, and children who have lost their lives\, those who have been displaced by war\, and all those seeking a safe place to call home.” \n62 Gladstone Street’s Platforma programme is supported by Arts Council England as and presented as part of the wider Platforma Festival across the East of England\, produced by Counterpoints Arts.
URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/creative-peer-meetup-and-sharing-leaving-were-the-ones-who-could-not-stay/
LOCATION:Peterborough Museum and Art Gallery\, 51 Priestgate\, Peterborough\, PE1 1LF\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Platforma,Visual Arts
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/metal.jpeg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20251005
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20251009
DTSTAMP:20260501T004741
CREATED:20250711T152311Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250902T092206Z
UID:10000534-1759622400-1759967999@counterpoints.org.uk
SUMMARY:You Never Asked My Name
DESCRIPTION:Artist Jill Eastland brings to life the dark blue tabards typically worn by the lowest paid and most precarious workers\, with embroidery and sound; co-creating stories of work and migration with asylum seekers\, refugees and migrant workers. \nSunday 5th October to Wednesday 8th October – 10am to 6pm \nPresented as part of the Platforma Festival (October 2025) produced by Counterpoints Arts. \nPreview: Saturday 4th October 5pm to 7pm\nIncluding discussion: How can art assist in the understanding of the experience of migrant workers\, refugees and asylum seekers in the UK? With artist Jill Eastland\, Tom Green (or Maren) from Counterpoints Arts and other guest speakers. \nWorkshop: Wednesday 8th October 1 to 4pm\nAn interactive talk with artist Jill Eastland. Jill invites you to wear the dark blue tabards most often worn by workers such as carers and cleaners\, who are frequently migrants\, refugees\, women\, precarious workers\, disabled workers and low paid workers. These workers are contradictorily marked as different by the wearing of this uniform\, but also rendered invisible. Jill will discuss how she has used these tabards as a kind of canvas to draw and stitch onto with words and images about workers rights and migration\, as a tool for solidarity and to investigate the everyday experience of wearing them. \n \nJill Eastland is an activist artist and a survivor of mixed heritage. Her work explores themes of social and climate justice. She favours community based and collaborative working practices. She often employs multiples; to create a more detailed discussion of a theme and she tends to produce open-ended bodies of work\, as well as finished pieces. Her work is often very detailed and can contain elements of realism and abstraction together.
URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/you-never-asked-my-name/
LOCATION:Cambridge Junction\, Clifton Way\, Cambridge\, CB1 7GX\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Platforma,Textiles,Visual Arts
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/3-Tabard-3-Nothing-to-See-Here-Detail-1.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251004T080000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251026T170000
DTSTAMP:20260501T004741
CREATED:20250930T120734Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251006T154631Z
UID:10000577-1759564800-1761498000@counterpoints.org.uk
SUMMARY:Maria Proshkovska: Making Oddkin
DESCRIPTION:The interdisciplinary project Making Oddkin by Maria Proshkovska is presented as two parallel exhibitions: at OUTPOST Gallery in Norwich\, UK and at the Centre for Contemporary Art in the frontline city of Zaporizhzhia\, Ukraine.\nCo-commissioned and presented as part of the Platforma festival\, produced by Counterpoints Arts. \nMaria Proshkovska works with Ukrainian grain burnt by missile strikes as living evidence of loss\, resistance\, and the potential for recovery. The artist began this project in 2023\, presenting a five-hour performance Farina at the Museum of Modern Art in Bologna (MAMbo). Documentation of this performance was since purchased for the collection of Central Saint Martins College and is now part of the college’s curriculum. \nThe exhibitions in Zaporizhzhia and Norwich feature a photographic object\, new film\, and installation. This installation is largely made of adobe\, a material traditionally used in various cultures for construction\, symbolising the need for collective labor as an act of mutual support. \nProshkovska creates conditions for dialogue between the gallery spaces in Ukraine and the UK. Viewers in Norwich and Zaporizhzhia become co-habitors of a shared landscape\, formed through co-presence and mutual sensitivity. Making Oddkin is the search for new forms of closeness and responsibility between cultures\, based on shared values and care. \nMaria Proshkovska (b. 1986) is a conceptual and socially engaged artist from Kyiv\, who currently lives between Ukraine and the UK. Her work operates at the intersection of performance\, installation\, and feminist criticism\, exploring themes of memory\, trauma\, corporeality\, and gender-determined social processes. Proshkovska completed a master’s programme in Performance: Society at Central Saint Martins\, UAL. She is a scholarship holder of international programmes and has participated in numerous exhibitions in countries including Ukraine\, the United Kingdom\, Italy\, Austria\, Japan\, and Taiwan. Proshkovska’s works are held in the Central Saint Martins Museum & Study Collection\, MAMbo\, Shcherbenko Art Centre and in private collections. \nFilm screening and Q & A: 3pm Saturday 4th and 3pm Sunday 5th \n4.10-26.10 Thurs-Sun 12-6pm or by appointment
URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/maria-proshkovska-making-oddkin/
LOCATION:OUTPOST Gallery\, 10b Wensum Street\, Norwich\, NR3 1HR\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Platforma,Visual Arts
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Screen-Shot-2025-09-30-at-13.05.11.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20251004
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20251102
DTSTAMP:20260501T004741
CREATED:20250902T092007Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251014T122103Z
UID:10000566-1759536000-1762041599@counterpoints.org.uk
SUMMARY:Bridging Landscapes II
DESCRIPTION:A group exhibition curated by Aisha Zia.\nPresented and co-commissioned as part of the Platforma Festival (October 2025) produced by Counterpoints Arts. \nOpening Hours:\nTuesday – Saturday: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM\nClosed: Sunday & Monday\nAdmission: Free\nNo booking required \nFollowing its successful run at French Riviera Gallery in London and the Rich Mix in Bethnal Green\, Bridging Landscapes II comes to Peterborough Museum. \nThis powerful group exhibition features South Asian and MENA artists from across the UK\, including Zaineb Abelque\, Sarah Ali\, Mohammed Adel\, Aya Haidar\, Haroun Hayward\, Sofia Karim\, Rehan Jamil\, Kalpesh Lathigra\, Amak Mahmoodian\, Mohammed Tariq and Anusheh Zia. The exhibition explores the emotional and cultural impact of migration—whether through lived or inherited experience—and the deep\, diasporic threads that shape memory\, identity\, and belonging. \nA book accompanying the exhibition\, Carry the Shadows Home\, is available now\, published by 62 Gladstone Street and Pendle Press. \nImage: Will Not Protect Against Drowning\, by Aya Haidar \nAbout Platforma in Peterborough \nPlatforma 2025 in Peterborough is produced by 62 Gladstone Street\, a community-rooted arts space in the heart of Peterborough with a particular focus on supporting South Asian and MENA artists. Through exhibitions\, residencies\, and public programmes\, it provides a vital platform for underrepresented voices and fosters meaningful dialogue between artists and the wider community. \nPartners: Counterpoints Arts\, Landmark Theatres\, Peterborough Cultural Alliance\, Metal Peterborough\, Peterborough Presents\, Peterborough Museum\, HELP Charity & the Aziz Foundation \nDedication: “Our programme is dedicated to the innocent men\, women\, and children who have lost their lives\, those who have been displaced by war\, and all those seeking a safe place to call home.” \n62 Gladstone Street’s Platforma programme is supported by Arts Council England as and presented as part of the wider Platforma Festival across the East of England\, produced by Counterpoints Arts.
URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/bridging-landscapes-ii/
LOCATION:Peterborough Museum and Art Gallery\, 51 Priestgate\, Peterborough\, PE1 1LF\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Platforma,Visual Arts
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Will-Not-Protect-Against-Drowning.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250913T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260111T170000
DTSTAMP:20260501T004741
CREATED:20250901T154950Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250901T155359Z
UID:10000565-1757757600-1768150800@counterpoints.org.uk
SUMMARY:Ghafar Tajmohammad: If you throw a stone in the crowd\, someone’s going to get hurt
DESCRIPTION:Explore Ghafar Tajmohammad’s thought-provoking collection of paintings and hand-woven rugs\, called kilims\, reflecting on conflict\, home\, and the search for hope and resilience.\nBy combining painting\, hand-woven rugs\, and lived experiences\, Ghafar’s work responds to the ongoing global turmoil and its impact. Whilst seemingly distant\, such conflicts mark real lives\, especially those of civilians caught in the crossfire. Ghafar draws on his own experience of displacement as a British Afghan\, while also turning outward to wider struggles and shared hopes. \nCo-commissioned and presented as part of the Platforma Festival (October 2025)\, produced by Counterpoints Arts. \nAbout the exhibition \nThe exhibition’s title comes from a proverb shared with Ghafar by a fellow Afghan while talking about the bombings in Afghanistan. \nToday\, the phrase feels even more powerful against the backdrop of global conflicts. For Ghafar\, it reflects both feelings of helplessness and the hope that expressing the collective “crowd” might encourage solidarity and social connection. \nGhafar’s work talks about ideas like home\, belonging\, and migration of people moving from one place to another. \nHis art looks closely at the experiences of people from the Afghan community who have moved to new places\, especially to the UK. He uses painting in new and different ways to share these stories. \nFull exhibition details \nWhat to expect \nOne of the works in this exhibition is a collection of hand-woven\, painted rugs\, called kilims\, named “Love Letters.” This personal piece was inspired by a workshop Ghafar co-led with ArtRefuge at a refugee camp in the UK. \nDuring this workshop\, he invited participants to write and draw their initials using both Arabic and English letters. This simple act of writing one’s own initials became a powerful way for people to express identity\, memory\, and presence. \n“Love Letters” begins with these initials as a starting point\, not only to acknowledge the individuals who took part\, but also to open the space for others. \nAnother highlight is “Dirt Upon My Head”. It is made from one large canvas stretched over several square frames. Each frame represents a single home\, and together they suggest a neighbourhood or city frozen in a moment of impact. The canvas stretches out from the centre\, giving a feeling of breaking or tearing. \nAbout Ghafar Tajmohammad \nGhafar is of Afghan heritage and was displaced as a small child. He grew up in Southeast London\, graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Painting at Camberwell College of Arts and works as a Curatorial Project Manager at the Migration Museum. \nAbout Firstsite \nFirstsite is the East of England’s contemporary visual arts organisation where you can experience the most exciting developments in contemporary art\, and explore the rich artistic legacy cultivated by the East of England’s unique landscape and character. \nImage: Homage to Najia\, Fall of Kabul by Ghafar Tajmohammad\, courtesy of the artist.
URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/ghafar-tajmohammad-if-you-throw-a-stone-in-the-crowd-someones-going-to-get-hurt/
LOCATION:Firstsite\, Lewis Gardens\, High Street\, Colchester\, CO1 1JH\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Platforma,Visual Arts
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Homage-To-Najia-Fall-Of-Kabul.jpeg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250906T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20250907T170000
DTSTAMP:20260501T004741
CREATED:20250901T151841Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250915T095041Z
UID:10000564-1757152800-1757264400@counterpoints.org.uk
SUMMARY:Unstable
DESCRIPTION:A new exhibition by Mohammad Noureddini in association with Counterpoints Arts.\nMohammad Noureddini is a visual storyteller shaped by a lifelong devotion to drawing\, painting\, and expressing emotion through form. His background in Fine Art began with traditional media including oil\, watercolour\, ink\, pen\, and printmaking\, and expanded into digital illustration and concept art. Mohammad has always seen art as a language beyond words\, a way to understand the world and connect with others. \nPrivate View 5th September 6-8pm
URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/unstable/
LOCATION:Cambridge Artworks and Artspace\, 5 Green's Road\, Cambridge\, CB4 3EF\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Platforma,Visual Arts
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Mohammad1.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250904T090000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251018T170000
DTSTAMP:20260501T004741
CREATED:20250714T094107Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250912T080410Z
UID:10000535-1756976400-1760806800@counterpoints.org.uk
SUMMARY:Leaving Were The Ones Who Could Not Stay
DESCRIPTION:Broadway Gallery in Letchworth presents Leaving Were The Ones Who Could Not Stay\, a new exhibition featuring the work of Beverley Carruthers\, Bettina Furnée\, Olga Jürgenson and Idit Elia Nathan. \nCo-commissioned and presented as part of the Platforma Festival (October 2025) produced by Counterpoints Arts. \nOpening Reception: Thursday 4 September 2025\, 18.30-21.00 \nWorkshop: Memory\, Identity & Home\nSaturday 4 October 2025\, 11:00 – 12:30\nJoin artists Beverley Carruthers and Bettina Furnée for a creative workshop exploring the experience of arriving in a new place. Inspired by photos from The Garden City Collection. We will work with writing\, storytelling and photography to create new versions of our own and others’ treasured memories. \nArtist-Led Walk & Talk\nSaturday 11 October 2025\, 12:00 – 13:30\nGain insight into the exhibition through a guided ‘walk and talk’ with the artists\, as they discuss their work and ideas. \nThe exhibition features four Cambridge-based artists who explore the socio-political forces shaping familial bonds\, migration\, and intergenerational memory. Through sound\, video\, collage\, and interactive installations\, they draw on personal histories\, interviews\, found material and family archives to reimagine borders\, displacement\, and the meaning of home. \nThis collectively created project encourages sharing of prescient stories of migration and displacement to question societal change and bonds. \nAll four artists present large-scale new works in this exhibition: Hailstones\, Bars and Meshes is a sound installation with photographic prints by Beverley Carruthers\, exploring contemporary oral histories of labour\, migration\, and community storytelling. Out Of Our Earth is a three-channel film and sound installation by Bettina Furnée that explores ‘leaving’- a friend\, a home\, a country\, our planet- by blending tales of migration and farewell with recorded interviews and elements of science fiction. Permission to Return Granted by Olga Jürgenson is exploring the impact of forced collectivisation\, Stalin’s terror and World War II on the migrant Estonian community\, including her family\, in the Ulyanovsk area of Soviet Russia during the period between 1929 and 1953. Trigger Warning by Idit Nathan is a sculptural installation of handkerchiefs passed down through the maternal line\, delicately embroidered with press images from the war in Gaza and artistic responses to historic horrors of war. \nThe project was developed in partnership with Counterpoints Arts as part of Platforma (October 2025). Additional events with Uncovering Letchworth\, METAL Peterborough and Revoluton Arts\, Luton\, will use the exhibition themes to stimulate conversation and connect (migrant) artists in the region. \nBeverley Carruthers is a multimedia artist exploring female experience\, and how this is navigated through ritual and performance in photography\, generative text\, sound art\, performance and film. She is a Royal College of Art alumnus and was senior lecturer in photography at London College of Communication where she co-created the Writing Photographs research project\, investigating how image and text come together\, particularly in an installation context. She recently ran The Expanded Librarian as collaboration between The Royal College of Art\, CRASSH\, University of Cambridge\, and University of The Arts\, London. She organised the Reframing Menopause research project where she has made collaborative film and texts works and co-curated the first multidisciplinary menopause conference at University of Cambridge in 2019. She has run two conferences at Tate Modern\, and an extensive exhibition\, public lecture\, and workshop program. She is an experienced workshop leader having taught for over 30 years at University of the Arts\, with public workshops at The Photographers’ Gallery\, Tate Modern and LCC Studios. \nBettina Furnée was born in The Netherlands and is studio artist at Wysing Arts Centre. Her text-based practice includes installation\, live events and moving image. She works collaboratively with writers\, musicians and participants to create projects that challenge dominant narratives and amplify voices from the community. Her projects are often situated in public places where power resides\, such as a church\, library\, mountain or bunker\, exploring the instability of language through wordplay\, text and sound. For instance\, collaborative project Even You Song was a choral evensong based on interviews with twelve couples about a potential space mission\, and this premiered at Peterborough Cathedral\, before touring in 2019. Powerhouse was a temporary installation\, set of posters\, archival work and film\, which resulted from a durational word association game staged at Cambridge University Library\, as part of a residency at Kettle’s Yard. She has been awarded public commissions\, group and solo shows\, residencies and support for self-initiated projects. In 2020 she was selected for alternative learning programme Syllabus VI\, and she is currently artist in residence for Natur Am Byth\, Wales’ green recovery programme. \nOlga Jürgenson was born in Siberia and raised in Estonia; she is currently based in Cambridge and works and exhibits internationally. Olga is drawn to the subject of human nature’s complexity – whether it’s from the perspective of a female artist collaborating with the world’s first AI sex doll Samantha\, TV detective stories questioning the role of god\, or a painter of portraits of robots disguised as celebrities. She has participated in many group exhibitions globally\, including 56th Venice Biennial\, MANIFESTA 10\, and Liverpool\, Moscow and Ural biennials. She has been awarded grants and awards from several European foundations\, and in 2011 she was nominated for the Kandinsky Prize (Moscow\, Russia). Recent solo exhibitions were at the Tallinn Art Hall Gallery\, Estonia (2021-2022)\, Espronceda Centre for Arts and Culture\, Barcelona\, Spain (2018)\, New Hall Art Collection\, University of Cambridge\, UK (2014)\, amongst others. Olga’s works are held in state and private collections across the world\, including British Film Institute\, London (UK)\, The University of Cambridge (UK)\, Oulu Art Museum (Finland)\, National Centre for Contemporary Art (Russia). Olga curated the National Pavilion of Mauritius at the 56th and 57th Venice Biennale. \nIdit Elia Nathan grew up in Jerusalem. She is a conceptual artist whose work includes interactive installations\, live events\, games\, audio-visual works\, walks and artists’ books where play operates as a productively provocative space to challenge accepted understandings. Using optics\, scale and perspective\, participants are invited to respond to contemporary dilemmas both as actors with free will and actors in an historical and cultural context. Her artworks have been been exhibited internationally and are held in private and public collections including Kettle’s Yard\, Standpoint\, IMT\, Parasol Unit\, Royal Institute of British Architects\, Triangle Space\, Pushkin House\, Royal Central School of Speech and Drama\, Pembroke and Homerton colleges (Cambridge)\, Crypt Gallery and Materia Gallery (Rome)\, Toxic Dreams (Vienna)\, Display Cult (Canada and US) and Zarya Centre for Contemporary Arts (Vladivostok). Until recently Idit was associate lecturer at Central St. Martin’s College (University of the Arts London)\, where she completed an arts practice PhD titled Art of Play in Zones of Conflict – the Case of Israel Palestine in 2018. \nImage: Bettina Furnée
URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/leaving-were-the-ones-who-could-not-stay/
LOCATION:Broadway Gallery\, 2 The Arcade\, Letchworth Garden City\, SG6 3ES\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Platforma,Visual Arts
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/donkey_1.2e16d0ba.fill-1300x731-c0.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250720T140000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20250720T170000
DTSTAMP:20260501T004741
CREATED:20250630T083153Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250630T095514Z
UID:10000525-1753020000-1753030800@counterpoints.org.uk
SUMMARY:Leaving Were the Ones
DESCRIPTION:Beverley Carruthers\, Bettina Furnée\, Olga Jürgenson and Idit Nathan present a ‘work in progress’ event with special guests at Wysing Arts Centre\, Cambridgeshire.\nFollowing their ‘work in progress’ days (17th-20th July) join the artists on Sunday 20 July for a special closing event with writer Ali Smith & filmmaker Sarah Wood who will lead a conversation focused on the exhibition themes. \nThis event is part of Leaving Are The Ones Who Could Not Stay – a new exhibition for Broadway Gallery\, Letchworth that explores the socio-political forces shaping familial bonds\, migration\, and intergenerational memory. \nLeaving Were The Ones Who Could Not Stay has been co-commissioned by Counterpoints Arts to be presented as part of the Platforma Festival October 2025\, and the Broadway Gallery\, a charitable service of the Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation. It is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England. Special thanks to the Garden City Collection and Revoluton Arts and METAL for their generous support and collaboration. \nFull details and booking via Eventbrite.
URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/leaving-were-the-ones/
LOCATION:Wysing Arts Centre\, Fox Road\, Bourn\, CB23 2TX\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Platforma,Visual Arts
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/avif:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/https___cdn.evbuc_.com_images_1057164063_2792778880261_1_original.avif
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250616T110000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20250622T160000
DTSTAMP:20260501T004741
CREATED:20250513T142506Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250529T143310Z
UID:10000501-1750071600-1750608000@counterpoints.org.uk
SUMMARY:Encounters
DESCRIPTION:ENCOUNTERS is a site-specific installation developed by Kingston School of Art’s MArch Architecture students in collaboration with MA Photography students\, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration rooted in circular economy principles and reuse strategies. Featuring photographic and moving image works\, the exhibition responds to the themes of migration\, refuge\, and displacement. \nThe exhibition is running from 16 to 22 June\, 11am – 4pm each day\, at Yorkton Workshops. \nAlongside the exhibition\, a panel discussion will explore cultural production and research practices related to migration\, displacement\, and social justice. These conversations aim to deepen engagement with the themes at the heart of the project. \nThe panel discussion will be led by Dr Maria Mencia\, an artist-researcher in media arts and digital poetics\, codirector of the research group Sound/Image/Media/ Encounters (SIME) and postgraduate coordinator at Kingston School of Art. Guest speakers will include Dr Amak Mahmoodian\, a multidisciplinary artist and educator\, Kate Watson\, visual artist\, researcher and educator\, Liz Hingley\, artist and anthropologist and Edwin Mingard\, visual artist working principally with moving image. \nThe panel will take place on Thursday 19 June 2025 from 3 to 6pm. Reserve your free place here. Spaces are limited. \nThere will also be a Private Viewing on Thursday 19 June 2025\, from 6.30-9pm. \nThis project is created in partnership with Refugee Week (the world’s largest arts & culture festival celebrating the contributions\, creativity and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary)\, Counterpoints (a leading national organisation in the field of arts\, migration and cultural change) and Yorkton Workshops (home to award-winning design studio Pearson Lloyd). \nThe Project:\nEncounters began as a live brief module for MA Photography students\, developed in partnership with Refugee Week and Counterpoints Arts. The students were invited to respond to a brief set by the Refugee Week team and independently devise projects that explore the themes of migration and displacement. For many\, this marked their first direct engagement with refugee experiences and the complexities surrounding displacement. \nTackling such a profound and challenging subject matter has proven to be both a demanding and deeply rewarding journey. It was a process of learning\, and in many cases\, of unlearning: questioning assumptions\, cultivating empathy\, and discovering new ways of seeing. This exhibition presents a diverse range of creative responses\, reflecting not only on the realities of displacement\, but also on the process of coming to understand those realities. \nThe final installation emerged from yet another meaningful Encounter – this time with 17 exceptionally talented MArch Architecture students. Volunteering their time\, they collaborated with MA Photography students to create a site-specific installation that responds to the themes of displacement and refuge. Their design is grounded in circular economy principles\, bringing a sense of lightness/ transience and a commitment to adaptability\, reuse and sustainability. \nThis exhibition is\, above all\, a reflection of all these Encounters – between disciplines\, between people\, and between perspectives. It seeks to convey the insights and growth our students have experienced as they engaged with this vital and urgent topic. \nParticipating Artists:\nAnchen Li\, Anna Jannepalli\, Tommy Pai\, Edith Robinson\, Eghbal Raoufifard\, Jaewoo Lee\, Jay Lin\, Justin Pappoe\, Meng Zhang\, Jingyao Yan\, Rui Zheng\, Shubham Kakade\, Tilan Xue\, Zixin Luo\, Tom Cai\, Yang Tonge\, with Nana Varveropoulou as MA Photography module leader. \nRify Hossain\, Chelsea Richards\, Cam Heslop\, Priyanshi Dhanrajbhai Jain\, Pete Goding\, Alice Parker\, Azsvina Ragunathan\, Eadan Filbrandt\, Babitha Ravi Kumar\, Telma Ferraris\, Rama Shetty\, Rio Jablonski\, Ian Karuhanga\, Berfin Tas\, Valerie Wan\, Shadi Rashedi\, Anisha Iqbal\, Rajan Savaliya\, with Aoife Donnelly as MArch Architecture Lead.
URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/encounters/
LOCATION:Yorkton Workshops\, 1-3 Yorkton St\, London\, London\, E2 8NH\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Digital,Film and Photography,London Refugee Week,Multi-Art Form,Photography,Refugee Week,Visual Arts
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/encounters-1.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250614
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250623
DTSTAMP:20260501T004741
CREATED:20250512T062337Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250512T073842Z
UID:10000499-1749859200-1750636799@counterpoints.org.uk
SUMMARY:You Look as Though You Might Be a Relation
DESCRIPTION:As part of the Counterpoints Moomin 80 commissions for Refugee Week\, Gloucester Guildhall presents You Look as Though You Might Be a Relation by Dana Olărescu. \nFull details \nGloucester Docks \n“Hello there!” cried Moomintroll through the storm\, to show that he was not afraid. “Hello\, hello\,” said the sea-troll. “You look as though you might be a relation”. \nA floating installation by socially engaged artist Dana Olărescu invites us to reflect on how we welcome newcomers to our city\, and form bonds beyond blood ties. Throughout the week\, the raft will travel to various locations\, with a special launch and a culminating live performance. Join us as we explore belonging\, family\, and community in new and unexpected ways. \nThe installation has been co-commissioned and co-produced by Counterpoints Arts and Gloucester Guildhall\, made possible by the support of Moomin Characters Ltd. in celebration of 80 years since the publication of the first Moomin story. \nSite 1 – Sat 14 – Tue 18 Jun \nSite 2 – Tue 18 – Wed 19 Jun \nSite 3 – Thu 20 – Sat 22 Jun \nOnto the Water\nDate and time TBA \nNational Waterways Museum\, Gloucester Docks \nFree\, no booking required \nCome down and take a look at the raft installation as we witness it setting sail\, carrying stories of welcome across the water. A one-of-a-kind moment of adventure awaits. \nMoonlit Arrival\nFri 20 Jun\, 6pm & 7pm \nNorth Quay Docks\, Gloucester Docks \nAs the moon rises\, the Moomin raft will embark on its final journey across the docks. Gather by the water and let the melodies of local artist Zariq Rosita-Hanif float to you on the evening breeze\, carried from the raft beneath the midsummer sky. \nFor those who wish to get closer\, a limited number of special tickets will allow you to row out and experience the music up close. Bring your nightlights and join us for a serene and magical farewell as the raft drifts gently into the night. \nMoomin Picnic \nSat 21 Jun\, 12pm – 6pm \nKings Square \nJoin us for a Moomin-style picnic to mark the finale of a fantastic week of city-wide events for Refugee Week\, part of the Moomins’ 80th-anniversary celebrations. \nIn response to Dana Olărescu’s floating installation in the docks: You Look as Though You Might be a Relation\, the day will celebrate community as a superpower and welcome as a core part of our city’s identity. \nEnjoy delicious free tasters\, engaging activities\, and music from around the world. Bring a picnic – and a small welcoming gift for a stranger. \nWelcome Chorus \nSat 14 & Sat 21 Jun 11am – 5pm\, Tue 17 – Fri 20 Jun 12pm – 2pm and 5pm – 8pm \nRed Isaac\, Senior Producer\, Gloucester Guildhall\, said: “As a dock city\, welcoming people seeking sanctuary is built into our story. There is huge pride in this heritage\, and the theme of welcoming people features prominently in the work of communities and arts organisations across the city\, recognising the transformative and rich contributions of all the cultures that make up Gloucester. The story of welcome\, belonging and safety at the heart of the Moomins chime perfectly with Gloucester Guildhall and city’s values. We are delighted to explore and celebrate these important themes in this project with Moomin Characters and Counterpoint Arts.” \nGloucester Guildhall \nWe will transform our Gallery and Chamber Cinema space into a pop-up book-style welcome. Experience an immersive light and sound installation by Squidsoup & Vilk Collective Welcome Chorus which echoes songs of welcome\, belonging and overcoming adversity gathered from communities across Gloucester. Let the soothing melodies and glowing orbs wrap you in a blanket of harmony and comfort in our warm space/snug. \nMoomins on Film \nSat 7 Jun \nGloucester Guildhall \nMoomins On the Riviera (U)\, 11am \nThe Moomins set sail for the Riviera\, where\, after a journey fraught with storms and desert island dangers\, Snorkmaiden is dazzled by the attentions of a playboy and Moomintroll learns that jealousy’s sting is the most painful of all. \nTOVE (12A)\, 2pm \nA captivating drama about the creator of the Moomins\, her iconic talent and her turbulent search for identity\, desire and freedom. \nMoomin ABC \nSat 29 Mar – Sun 5 Oct \nMuseum of Gloucester \nSettle down for an hour to explore the magic world of the Moomins with your family and immerse yourself in the adventures of Moominmamma\, Sniff\, Stinky\, Little My\, Hodgkins\, Snufkin and Snorkmaiden! \nThe Moomin Gift Shop \nUntil Oct \nMuseum of Gloucester \nFind beautiful gifts\, Tove Jansson prints and cards\, official Moomin merchandise\, and limited edition Moomin 80 items at the Pop-up Moomin Gift Shop at Museum of Gloucester\, open Tue-Sun every week.
URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/you-look-as-though-you-might-be-a-relation/
LOCATION:Gloucester Guildhall\, 23 Eastgate Street\, Gloucester\, GL1 1NS\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Community & Participation,Refugee Week,Visual Arts
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/MoominsBoat.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250613T143000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20250613T163000
DTSTAMP:20260501T004741
CREATED:20250506T143655Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250509T115046Z
UID:10000496-1749825000-1749832200@counterpoints.org.uk
SUMMARY:Artist and curator meet-up @ Inodyssey
DESCRIPTION:Counterpoints Arts and Gözde Altun invite artists and curators from refugee and migrant backgrounds (or with a specific interest in this context) to a meet-up to see the Inodyssey exhibition\, hear about the curatorial approach and build connections and networks. \nInodyssey is an independent group exhibition that explores themes of displacement\, resilience and belonging\, through multidisciplinary works by artists with lived experience of migration. It brings together stories\, memories and imagined journeys as ways of making sense of movement\, identity and home. Artists include Aya Haidar\, Deniz Pasha\, Fatoş İrwen\, Ghafar Tajmohammad\, Güler Ates\, Liza Jesse-Kats\, Malak Mattar\, and Özgül Arslan. It is curated by Bengü Gün\, Gözde Altun\, and Murat Balcı \nGözde Altun is a London-based curator whose work focuses on social justice\, ecofeminism\, and community-led projects. Her practice often highlights underrepresented voices and explores the connections between art\, politics and everyday life. \nTo request a free place please email tom@counterpoints.org.uk \nImage: Home Performance 1\, by Güler Ates
URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/artist-and-curator-meet-up-inodyssey/
LOCATION:Campbell Works\, 27 Belfast Road\, London\, N16 6UN
CATEGORIES:Visual Arts
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Home-Performance-I.73x105cm.2014.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250611
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250707
DTSTAMP:20260501T004741
CREATED:20250429T211104Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250709T121655Z
UID:10000494-1749600000-1751846399@counterpoints.org.uk
SUMMARY:To Own Both Nothing and the Whole World
DESCRIPTION:Henna Asikainen & Roua Horanieh: To Own Both Nothing and the Whole World\nAn exhibition of work by artists Henna Asikainen and Roua Horanieh will be presented at Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art\, Gateshead during Refugee Week 2025. The project has been developed with the participation of a group of people with experience of migration and displacement\, who now live in Gateshead and Newcastle. \nUpdate: book free tickets for a special Midsummer Event on 21 June as part of the installation. \nCo-commissioned and co-produced by Counterpoints Arts and Baltic\, made possible by the support of Moomin Characters Ltd. It is part of celebrations marking 80 years since the publication of the first Moomin story by Tove Jansson\, which had a focus on displacement. The title of the exhibition is a quote from Snufkin\, one of the characters in the Moomin stories. \nIt is one of our four public art commissions for Moomin 80 during Refugee Week. \nThe project explores ideas of home and belonging\, reflecting on the impact of displacement on both human and more-than-human worlds. Recognising that nature is our first habitat without which no home can be built. The materials used in the work are foraged from the surrounding landscape\, each carrying its own enchanting story—bringing communities together in unexpected and meaningful ways. \nThe multiple artworks will be seen outside of the gallery\, in the entrance area Lightbox\, on Ground Floor and in the Level 5 Viewing Box\, with its presence woven across Baltic. \nAt the heart of the work are Taihaku cherry trees and their extraordinary migration story\, where a sole migrant tree in the UK became a saviour of the whole ecosystem\, reviving the extinct community in its native country of Japan. \nThe exhibition also encompasses migratory birdnests with their many stories of movement\, resilience and adaptation and 200-year-old tree roots planted during the Napoleonic Wars\, and which were uprooted by a recent storm. Willow and other foraged wonders from community gardens feature within the artwork alongside a tree felled by a storm in local suburbia\, a reminder of nature’s unpredictability and the cycles of loss and renewal. \nThrough this assemblage of living histories\, To Own Both Nothing and The Whole World invites reflection on the interconnected journeys of people\, plants\, and place—foregrounding the invaluable contribution migrants bring to this country\, and the power and beauty of nature and community in shaping our shared world. \nThe project aims to raise awareness around displacement and climate\, to create the opportunity for dialogue with asylum seekers\, refugees and migrants around the perception of their migration\, their future and how they can thrive in a new environment. It also enables the opportunity for dialogue within the local area on what it takes to welcome a migrant community. Many different elements make a nest\, and it takes many to create it\, weaving together different elements to create something solid that can hold and shelter someone. By creating a story that lives on in people’s memories and thoughts\, there is the potential to change minds and behaviours. \nHenna Asikainen is a Finnish multidisciplinary artist based in the UK\, renowned for her socially engaged and participatory practice. Her work explores the intricate relationships between humans and the natural world\, addressing themes of migration\, climate justice\, social belonging\, and the ecological impact of displacement. \nFor this new public artwork\, Henna is collaborating with Syrian writer and architect Roua Horanieh\, whose multidisciplinary career spans architecture\, storytelling\, and cultural reflection. \nWe are grateful for additional support towards the public programme from the Finnish Institute. The Finnish Institute in the UK and Ireland supports the internationalisation of Finnish and Finland-based artists\, researchers and social actors. As the leading expert on Finnish culture and society\, the Institute enables societal change through art and culture\, empowering diverse perspectives and fostering a more inclusive cultural landscape for all. Founded in 1991\, the Institute is a non-profit\, private foundation funded by the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture. \nHenna and Roua write: \nWe extend our heartfelt thanks to The Alnwick Garden\, Howick Hall Gardens and Arboretum\, and Scotswood Community Garden for their generous and invaluable support of To Own Both Nothing and the Whole World. Their collaboration has been vital in shaping the material and conceptual depth of this project. \nFrom the Tai-Haku cherry trees to ancient oak roots and the supple willow branches\, the contributions of these unique gardens and landscapes have enriched the narrative of this work—allowing us to explore the themes of migration\, belonging\, and the interconnectedness of all life. We have deeply valued the opportunity to collaborate not only with the dedicated staff of each garden but also with our more-than-human allies\, whose histories and presences have helped bring the project to life. \nThis partnership has been a meaningful reminder that communities—both human and more-than-human—thrive through generosity\, shared care\, and reciprocal relationships. Thank you. \nRead a blog post about a visit to Alnwick Gardens as part of the project \nRead an article on Cultured. North East \nDownload a guide to the project: To Own Both Nothing and the Whole World (pdf)
URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/to-own-both-nothing-and-the-whole-world/
LOCATION:Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art\, Shore Rd\, Gateshead\, NE8 3BA
CATEGORIES:Refugee Week,Visual Arts
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250531
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250622
DTSTAMP:20260501T004741
CREATED:20250501T151229Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250602T102852Z
UID:10000495-1748649600-1750550399@counterpoints.org.uk
SUMMARY:What Will We Do Without Exile?
DESCRIPTION:What Will We Do Without Exile? by Basel Zaraa is an immersive\, multi-sensory installation that creates a lush world within a refugee tent\, inviting audiences to imagine life beyond occupation. \nIt is one of our four public art commissions for Moomin 80 during Refugee Week. \nVisit Bradford 2025 Uk City of Culture for full visit details including opening times. \nWhat Will We Do Without Exile\nBy Basel Zaraa \nIn collaboration with: Emily Churchill Zaraa \nSound artist: Pete Churchill \nNewspaper Illustrator and Designer: Charlotte Bailey \nFeaturing the voice of Sahar Qawasmi \nWith thanks to all the interview participants. \nWhile generations of Palestinian bodies have been forced into tents\, their imaginations have never stopped reaching for liberation. What Will We Do Without Exile? pays tribute to imagination as resistance\, as it celebrates the natural and cultural richness of Palestine\, past\, present and future. Through sight\, touch\, sound and stories\, audience members are transported to a reality where the land and its people are finally free. \nWhat Will We Do Without Exile? honours the struggle and sacrifice of colonised people\, and imagines a world where they have not only won their liberation\, but where their resilience and ingenuity are recognised as invaluable examples for humanity in crisis. \nBasel Zaraa is a UK-based Palestinian artist whose work uses the senses to bring audiences closer to experiences of exile and war\, and who creates art in order to face\, express and understand the trauma that his community lives with. His current installation\, ‘What Will We Do Without Exile?’ is an immersive\, multi-sensory installation that creates a lush world within a refugee tent\, inviting audiences to imagine life beyond occupation and war. \nSince 2022 he has also been touring ‘Dear Laila’\, an intimate\, a one-person-at-a-time installation centred around the recreation of a destroyed family home\, which received the ZKB Audience Award 2023. His previous work includes ‘As Far As My Fingertips Take Me’\, a collaboration with Tania El Khoury\, which was awarded Outstanding Production at the Bessie Awards in 2019. His work has been shown at over 50 venues and festivals across five continents. \nWhat Will We Do Without Exile? is co-commissioned and co-produced with Counterpoints Arts and Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture and made possible by Moomin Characters Ltd as part of the  celebration of the 80th anniversary of the first Moomins book. \nRead a text from the opening of the installation on 31 May 2025
URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/what-will-we-do-without-exile/
LOCATION:The Beacon – Bowling Park\, 263 Bowling Hall Rd\, Bradford\, BD4 7TL
CATEGORIES:Refugee Week,Visual Arts
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/without-exil-1.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20241112T103000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20241112T120000
DTSTAMP:20260501T004741
CREATED:20241024T110041Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241213T210614Z
UID:10000468-1731407400-1731412800@counterpoints.org.uk
SUMMARY:Sanctuary and Visual Arts
DESCRIPTION:Developed by City of Sanctuary UK and Counterpoint Arts\, the Arts Stream of Sanctuary recognises work done by arts organisations with artists and communities from refugee and asylum seeking backgrounds and helps them build sustainable ongoing programmes. \nA small but growing number of visual arts studios and venues have joined the programme and we are keen for more to get involved. \nThis online meeting will feature short presentations by studios and galleries which have Sanctuary status\, to share the work they do\, some of the challenges they face and how they address them. There will be plenty of time for questions and discussion. All welcome\, whether you are experienced in this work or coming to it for the first time.\nFree sign up here \nPlatforma is a festival produced every two years by Counterpoints with partners in a different English region. In October 2025 it will be in the East of England.
URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/sanctuary-and-visual-arts/
CATEGORIES:Platforma,Visual Arts
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screenshot-2024-12-13-at-09.38.59.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240808T120000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240811T180000
DTSTAMP:20260501T004741
CREATED:20240806T133537Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240806T190409Z
UID:10000449-1723118400-1723399200@counterpoints.org.uk
SUMMARY:dhaqan collective: House of Weaving Songs at Southbank centre
DESCRIPTION:dhaqan collective invites you to enter The House of Weaving Songs\, a domed steel structure based on an Aqal\, a Somali nomadic home found in the arid landscapes of Somalia. \nEmbark on a sensory journey as 360-degree audio surrounds you\, transporting you to the heart of Somali nomadic life through the musicality of Somali women’s weaving songs. \nWander through nomadic tapestries adorned with tales of tradition and resilience\, each thread weaving a story of heritage and belonging. \nThe Aqal contains the wishes and the dreams of those who made it\, and it becomes a repository for our own hopes and dreams\, a space for conversations and dialogue about our climate anxieties. \ndhaqan collective is a Somali feminist art collective led by Ayan Cilmi and Fozia Ismail. Their practice seeks to find ways of building imaginative futures that support Somali people in the UK and in East Africa to resist threats over our cultural heritage. Cilmi and Ismail are Spike Island Studio holders and Pervasive Media Studio residents in Bristol. \nThe House of Weaving Songs was developed as part of Playable Cities\, an arts and creative technology programme funded through My World at Bristol University and Watershed. It is a Counterpoints and Arts Reach co-commission. After Southbank Centre\, House of Weaving Songs is touring to b-side Festival (5 – 8 Sep)\, Eden Project (21 Sep) and Journeys Festival International ( 11 & 12 Oct). \nThis is part of a weekend curated with Southbank Centre. This summer\, Southbank Centre is collaborating with a range of London-based collectives and organisations to curate the Riverside Terrace stage in response to the theme of our season\, You Belong Here\, enabling these collaborators to welcome different audiences and recognise how they want and choose to belong here at the Southbank Centre. See the rest of the weekend programming on our event pages.
URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/dhaqan-collective-house-of-weaving-songs-at-southbank-centre/
LOCATION:Rooftop Garden\, Queen Elizabeth Hall\, Southbank Centre\, London\, SE1 8XZ
CATEGORIES:Sustainability & Climate Justice,Visual Arts
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/house-of-weaving-songs.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240707T093000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240729T170000
DTSTAMP:20260501T004741
CREATED:20240705T103827Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144312Z
UID:10000447-1720344600-1722272400@counterpoints.org.uk
SUMMARY:One Song in Medway
DESCRIPTION:One Song is a multiscreen video installation\, by artist Kadir Karababa\, about the power of songs that connect us to our roots. \nIt will be exhibited at the The Halpern Gallery at Nucleus Arts\, Chatham from 6th to 28th July 2024.\nThe official opening of the exhibition is from 3.30-5.30pm on Saturday 6th July\, forming part of the Chatham Carnival celebrations. \nhttps://www.nucleusarts.com/halpern-onesong \nThe work examines how songs are carried across borders and continents and yet remain firmly rooted in the places they were first sung. It asks how migrant communities can\, through the experience of singing\, be transported back to the places they left behind. \nCommissioned by Counterpoints Arts and conceived by artist Kadir Karababa\, it has engaged women from the diverse migrant communities of Medway. \nOne Song in Medway is made possible thanks to public funding from the National Lottery through Arts Council England\, and with support from Medway Council and Nucleus Arts. \nParticipants were recruited through a series of community workshops across Medway in May and June 2024.\nAmong those taking part were women from Medway based community groups including Medway African and Caribbean Association\, Medway Adult Education\, Medway Libraries\, Luton Primary School and Medway Interfaith Action.\nWorkshop attendees were invited to sing one song that reminded them of the place they first called home. \nA final group of 12 local migrant and refugee women were then filmed to be part of the installation to be exhibited at Nucleus Arts from 6th July. \nArtist Kadir Karababa says:\n“Folk and traditional songs the world over deal with the same universal themes: love\, life\, death\, loss\, connection to place and the earth. \n“By asking women from migrant communities to share their songs\, the piece seeks to make visible the interconnectedness of us all and how\, despite the surface differences of race\, religion\, language and culture\, we are all ultimately singing the same song.” \nGenevieve Tullberg\, for Nucleus Arts\, says: \n“For over 20 years Nucleus has championed creativity as a tool to enhance people’s lives in Medway. We are thrilled to support One Song in Medway\, an artwork which celebrates diversity and stimulates social inclusion\, health and wellbeing. \n“We are proud to have hosted the final workshops that led to the making of One Song at Nucleus Arts\, and now the installation itself in our Halpern Gallery.” \nAdam Bryan\, Medway Council’s Director of Place\, says: \n“Our Culture and Libraries service is delighted to have worked with Kadir and Counterpoints Arts on a project that has brought so many together to share\, connect and sing. This project has allowed Medway’s diverse migrant communities to express themselves and their experiences through art – giving them the opportunity to feel seen and find connection. We look forward to seeing this fantastic installation at Nucleus Arts.” \nTom Green\, for Counterpoints Arts\, says: \n“We’re an arts organisation that works nationally and internationally and have worked with partners in Kent and Medway a number of times in recent years. \n“Kadir’s project gets right to the heart of our interest in connecting people across communities through the arts\, finding the things in common about migration and displacement that can inspire and move us all.” \nAbout the Artist \nKadir’s practice mixes socio-political engagement and personal exploration\, delving into the complexities of identity\, individual and collective memory. He draws inspiration from his lived experience\, as well as from broader cultural and historical contexts. \nThrough a diverse range of mediums including sculpture\, painting\, printmaking\, audio-visual work\, and installation\, he wants to make multi-dimensional work which is unashamedly sentimental and provokes reflection.\nHe is influenced by his multicultural background\, as he was born in London in 1985 and has mixed Turkish\, English\, and Cypriot heritage. Kadir lives and works in Hackney\, London and draws inspiration from his surroundings\, the diverse communities that shape the city and his own family’s story of migration. \nBy exploring the intersections of his queer\, working class\, migrant identities and broader socio-political issues\, he strives to create art that sparks conversations and invites viewers to bridge the gap between the personal and the universal\, encouraging dialogue and understanding in an increasingly complex world.\nAbout Nucleus Arts \nNucleus Arts is the Award Winning flagship arts organisation founded by the Halpern Charitable Foundation. The Foundation was the brainchild of the late Hilary Halpern whose dream was to promote the Arts in Medway and Kent. Nucleus Arts has become the cultural and creative heart of Kent & Medway since it was founded in 2002\, and focuses on affordability\, accessibility and excellence in the Arts. \nCredits\nOne Song is conceived and created by Kadir Karababa\nkadirkarababa@live.co.uk\nkadirkarababa.com\nwww.instagram.com/kadkarababa \nProducer: Vanessa Stone \nWorkshop Co-facilitator and Vocal Coach: Dani Osoba Producer for Counterpoints Arts: Tom Green \nLighting and Camera: Giorgia Young \nGraphic Design: Salina \nSet Construction: Anchor Signmakers \nGallery Manager\, for Nucleus Arts: Genevieve Tullberg
URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/one-song-in-medway/
LOCATION:Nucleus Arts\, 272 High St\, Chatham\, ME4 4BP
CATEGORIES:Community & Participation,Visual Arts
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/One-song-Kadir-S1-Michi-Masumi-June-2024-10-1.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240430T174500
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240430T210000
DTSTAMP:20260501T004741
CREATED:20240321T074625Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144535Z
UID:10000404-1714499100-1714510800@counterpoints.org.uk
SUMMARY:Makers & Creators 2024 Showcase
DESCRIPTION:TERN & Counterpoints Arts are delighted to invite you to witness the launch of more than a dozen new refugee-led ventures into London’s arts & creative sectors! Expect an evening of inspiration\, connection\, and celebration as a new wave of creative founders pitch their businesses and showcase their work. \nJoin fellow creative industry professionals and art lovers to support these emerging creatives by sharing your valuable feedback\, ideas\, and opportunities. \nRegister for a free ticket via Eventbrite \nEntrepreneurs will pitch\, display and demo their offerings in the following categories: \nEvents & Performance\, including Olena Nesterenko\, mind-blowing bubble artist & founder of L Show\, and Racqueline Changunda\, balloon garland stylist and founder of Meracqui Events. \nFashion & Products\, including Anil Qasemi\, activist\, writer\, and founder of wonderful hat retailer Hatopia\, and Oksana & Oleksii Chauin\, founders of Light Craft Family\, a range of lovely oak LED nightlights manufactured in Ukraine and assembled by hand\, with love\, here in London. \nCreative Communities\, including Ravi Rasaiah\, founder of Payanam and creator of a new photography course for refugees & asylum-seeking artists\, and Khrystyna Oryschak\, curator behind print shop Artists Against War. \nFine Arts\, including painter Karina Kucherenko\, and multimedia artist Mariia Besuza. \nCounterpoints are working alongside curator & TERN Alumni Tasala Seifi\, to design a one-off exhibition showcasing original pieces by the fine artists. \nEnjoy refreshments & live entertainment alongside the art\, products\, and pitches. \nTERN’s Makers & Creators is the UK’s first creative sector incubator for refugee artists\, designers and makers. Over 5 immersive months\, programme members develop their business\, venture or brand. Starting with creating a roadmap to launch\, cohort members build assets\, develop their stories\, and access targeted business support and opportunities that can lead to a sustainable creative career. The programme culminates with the Showcase event\, where entrepreneurs pitch & demo their offerings to the public. \nMakers & Creators is offered by TERN – The Entrepreneurial Refugee Network. TERN is an ambitious social enterprise on a mission to enable refugees to thrive through the power of their own ideas.
URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/makers-creators-2024-showcase/
LOCATION:Museum of the Home\, 136 Kingsland Road\, London\, E2 8EA\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Craft & Design,Visual Arts
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240306T170000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240310T180000
DTSTAMP:20260501T004741
CREATED:20240214T215522Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144536Z
UID:10000398-1709744400-1710093600@counterpoints.org.uk
SUMMARY:We're Exhibiting At Affordable Art Fair
DESCRIPTION:Counterpoints Arts is the official Charity Partner for Affordable Art Fair Battersea Spring\, running from 6 – 10 March. Visitors to the fair will be able to support us in a number of ways; whether that’s buying an artwork from our stand (B11) or donating when purchasing tickets at affordableartfair.com \nWe will be exhibiting and selling work by four artists from our network: Maryam Hashemi\, Ghafar Tajmohammad\, Nima Javan and Farida Yesmin at Stand B11 so please come say hi!  \nAll proceeds of artwork sales go to the artists\, and Counterpoints also benefits from donations made by people booking tickets. \nAffordable Art Fair’s major spring edition in London’s Battersea Park brings together the best in affordable contemporary art from over 100 leading galleries worldwide\, alongside special exhibitions celebrating International Women’s Day and interior trends for 2024\, including the Pantone Colour of the Year: Peach Fuzz. Discover a brand new installation by Argentinian artist Alejandro Propato\, colourful pieces from campaign artist Lawrie Hutcheon\, and 1\,000s of fresh artworks in all styles and mediums. \nBook your tickets here \nWe also have a limited number of VIP tickets (£30 each) and all ticket proceeds will go to Counterpoints Arts as charity partner for the fair. Please email us on hello@counterpoints.org.uk if you would like to purchase one. \nAbout the artists \nFarida Yesmin is a Bangladeshi artist\, now based in Folkestone Kent. She makes work across performance\, socially engaged practice\, video\, photography and drawing. Through her art\, Farida engages with the cultural expectations and ideological restrictions that confront her as a woman\, as an artist and as an immigrant. \nGhafar Tajmohammad reflects on home\, belonging\, and relocation within the Afghan diaspora community in the UK. Drawing upon his own lived experience as a British Afghan\, whose family was displaced during the 1997 civil war in Afghanistan\, he works primarily in the field of painting and\, more recently\, as a rug weaver. \nMaryam Sandjari Hashemi was born in Birmingham\, UK\, and raised in Iran. Drawing has been a passion of hers since early childhood\, with unwavering support from her family. Since 2018\, Maryam has been painting live alongside musicians at various venues\, introducing a new dimension to her art. This innovative approach incorporates dance and movement\, resulting in dynamic and unpredictable outcomes that infuse her work with energy and excitement. \nNima Javan was born in Iran and is now based in London. His personal work is concerned with creatures and animals that have been identified in a new world with issues concerning life and human resistance. He depicts the Eastern world (Persian miniatures and carpets) as childhood memories in the form of animal characters in a modern and technological space. \n  \nImage © Horniman Museum
URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/were-exhibiting-at-the-affordable-art-fair/
LOCATION:Counterpoints Arts\, Stand B11\, Affordable Art Fair\, Battersea Evolution\, Chelsea Bridge Gate Entrance\,\, Stand B11\, Affordable Art Fair\, Battersea Evolution\, Chelsea Bridge Gate Entrance\, Battersea Park\, London\, SW8 4NW
CATEGORIES:Visual Arts
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/MCH_1VA0990-Counterpoints-RW2022-256-1.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20231028T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20231029T170000
DTSTAMP:20260501T004741
CREATED:20230827T200155Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144537Z
UID:10000330-1698487200-1698598800@counterpoints.org.uk
SUMMARY:Dear Laila by Basel Zaraa @ the Palestine Museum (Bristol)
DESCRIPTION:“Dear Laila\, you are five now and have started to ask me where I grew up\, and why we can’t go there. This is me trying to give you an answer.” \nThe seeds of Dear Laila were planted when Basel’s five-year-old daughter Laila began to ask him about his home growing up. Unable to take her there\, he decided he would try to bring the place to her\, by creating a model of his childhood home in Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus. \nDear Laila shares the Palestinian experience of displacement and struggle through the story of one family. Using retelling of memories and tactile details\, it explores how war and exile are experienced through the everyday\, the domestic\, and the public space – to bring this now destroyed place to life. \n \nRead an interview with Basel Zaraa \nBooking for the Palestine Museum: \nThe work is experienced by one person at a time. To reserve a slot via e-mail please send your preferred visiting time to  tom@counterpoints.org.uk \nCredits: \nOriginally commissioned by Good Chance Theatre\, with support from Arts Council England. \nTranslator and script editor: Emily Churchill Zaraa \nSound engineer: Pete Churchill \nPhoto credit: Mohab Mohamed \nPresented by Counterpoints Arts as part of the Platforma festival 2023 in collaboration with the Palestine Museum\, Bristol. The Palestine Museum was founded in 2013\, and is run entirely by volunteers It explores Palestinian culture\, heritage and daily life.
URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/dear-laila-by-basel-zaraa-the-palestine-museum/
LOCATION:Palestine Museum\, 27 Broad St\, Bristol\, BS1 2HG\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Platforma,Visual Arts
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Test-Platforma-Overlay-9.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20231021T183000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20231021T223000
DTSTAMP:20260501T004741
CREATED:20230918T161545Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144538Z
UID:10000356-1697913000-1697927400@counterpoints.org.uk
SUMMARY:CORE by Abigail Reynolds (Cornwall)
DESCRIPTION:As part of Flamm by Creative Kernow (21-22nd October 2023)\nOur relationship with the Earth is changing. \nWe must attune ourselves to the Earth and each other by listening\, responding\, and moving together. Core explores these themes in a quarry\, a scar of past extraction. Once a test site for dynamite drills\, Holman quarry has been silent for decades. Core invites us to dance to new rhythms and sounds in this carved landscape. The lost rhythms of percussive drills are replaced by electronic beats made entirely from quarry recordings. These unique sounds\, mixed by acclaimed producers during workshops\, let us reconnect to the rhythms of the Earth. \nDate: Saturday 21st October 2023 \nTime:\nFirst performance 6.30PM-8.30pm\nSecond performance 8.30PM-10.30PM \nLocation: Holman Quarry\, Lanner\, Redruth TR16 5HG. The event will be accessible via minibuses. \nBooking is essential but free to attend\, cash donations are welcome. More info on how to book to come. Keep an eye out on Flamm website and socials. Facebook\, Instagram and Twitter. \nAbout Abigail Reynolds\nAbigail uses montage techniques of layering and folding to destabilise singular ideas of cultural and political ecologies. She often works in dialogue with disciplines and places outside the art world; a silver band\, geologists\, libraries. She works across sculpture\, print and film as well as creating ephemeral events to bring disparate things into conversation. She works with a strong awareness of plurality; keeping a space complex and unreconciled.\n\n“The pages and images she excavates\, now dislocated from their original context\, become more like artifacts or archaeological remnants – more enigmatic\, more mutable\, and open to more complex meaning and association.” (Martin Clark)\n\nAbigail is noted for her work in collage\, using dynamic forms of assembly to release the latent possibilities in book plates by cutting and folding. To fold or layer historic images or events brings into focus our relation to time\, making it possible to discern things that are almost completely lost. Another medium she often uses is glass – using it  metaphorically to focus the act of looking and to suggest alternative modes of perception as well as simply to focus the light. \nCORE is being presented as part of a multi-layered programme of exhibitions and events. Supported by Art Night\, Counterpoints Arts\, Creative Kernow\, Cultivator\, Good Growth\, Levelling Up\, Shared Prosperity Fund and Cornwall Council. Part of the Platforma festival 2023\, produced by Counterpoints Arts and partners across the South West of England.
URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/core-by-abigail-reynolds-cornwall/
LOCATION:Holman Quarry\, Market Way\, Redruth\, TR16 5HG\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Multi-Art Form,Music,Platforma,Visual Arts
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