Nationhood: Memory and Hope

It is a love letter to all that is good in Northern Ireland, England, Wales, and Scotland, and offers a wealth of insights on how we each try and shape both our identities and communities to make the world a better place.

The cornerstone is The Necessity of Seeing, a major new collection of constructed images by the acclaimed Ethiopian photographer Aïda Muluneh. Shot through the artist’s surrealist lens at iconic locations in Bradford, Belfast, Cardiff, and Glasgow, these layered and complex images reveal the overlooked stories, forgotten histories and quiet moments that shape who we are.

First seen on billboards around Bradford in autumn 2024, the exhibition also presents A Portrait of Us, Muluneh’s potent black and white photographs of unsung community heroes from the same four cities.

New, or never before seen, photographic portraits by seven rising stars in UK photography explore issues of history, identity, race, gender, and religion.

Shaun Connell pays tribute to his Jamaican mother and Christian faith believers in Bradford, while fellow Bradford photographer Roz Doherty captures both the energy and uncertainty of youth in a new set of studio portraits. Chad Alexander explores the transformation of the Tropicana in Dungannon, from an Irish National Foresters club into a vibrant multicultural community hub. Robin Chaddah-Duke reunites 1970s stalwarts of The Parade Community Education Centre in Cardiff to recreate a group portrait, and Grace Springer showcases the vibrancy of community game changers from the city’s African and Caribbean diasporas. Miriam Ali spotlights grassroots activists from community organisations in Glasgow, while the photographs of Haneen Hadiy view the beauty of Scottish landscapes through the lens of Islamic symbolism.

Curated by Anne McNeill, Nationhood: Memory and Hope is a Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture and Impressions Gallery commission, in partnership with Belfast Exposed, Ffotogallery in Cardiff, and Street Level Photoworks in Glasgow.

The exhibition will travel throughout 2025 to Belfast Exposed, Ffotogallery in Cardiff, and Street Level Photoworks in Glasgow – making this the first ever UK City of Culture project to take place in all four nations of the UK.