Approximately 68 million people live in the UK. Languages spoken across the nation include English, Welsh, Polish, Romanian, Punjabi and Urdu, to name just a few.聽聽showed that more than 10 million individuals identified as an ethnicity other than white. The country has been profoundly shaped by immigration, from the Windrush Generation from the Carribean and West Indies to arrivals after the 2004 expansion of the EU to include include seven nations from the Eastern Bloc. Each group brought exciting foods, music, cultural practices, fashions, languages and art, enriching the communities in which they settled. A new exhibition at Impressions Gallery spotlights photography that celebrates the diversity of life in the UK today.聽Nationhood: Memory and Hope聽is led by a new series from iconic artist A茂da Muluneh, alongside the works of seven emerging artists. It kicks off Bradford鈥檚 year as City of Culture, which will offer a programme of arts, entertainment and educational events to celebrate the area鈥檚 rich heritage. In beginning with聽Nationhood: Memory and Hope,聽the City of Culture鈥檚 message 鈥 that communities are stronger for their differences and variety 鈥 is resoundingly clear.聽
The cornerstone of the show is聽The Necessity of Seeing,聽a major new collection by the acclaimed Ethiopian creative A茂da Muluneh (b. 1974). The visual artist is known for聽Afrofuturist constructed images that incorporate vibrant colours and body painting to create surreal scenes.聽Muluneh鈥檚 work has been exhibited across the world, including at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, The Photographers Gallery, London and C/O Berlin. The 2018 series聽Water Life聽was one of the key features in Tate鈥檚 landmark 2024 show,聽A World in Common.聽Muluneh also founded the Addis Foto Fest, the first international photography festival in East Africa, as well as The Africa Foto Fair. In 2019, she became the first Black woman to co-curate the Nobel Peace Prize exhibition. Her reach and influence are almost unparalleled, and she now turns this experienced lens upon the British Isles.聽
The Necessity of Seeing聽features images shot at locations in Bradford, Belfast, Cardiff and Glasgow, revealing the overlooked stories, forgotten histories and quiet moments that shape the nation. Muluneh intertwines her signature colourful backdrops with recognisable UK scenery, including churches and theatres. She adopts the imagery of body scarification, painting and tattooing that are common in traditions throughout the Global South, placing them in British pastoral and urban settings. In one image, two figures perch atop a dry stone wall, the sky behind a characteristic British grey. The images echo the UK鈥檚 multiculturalism, borne from adopting and embracing parts of diasporic histories like the artist鈥檚 own. Muluneh explained: 鈥淔or me, it鈥檚 a mix of photojournalism and artistic expression, and then putting elements of myself within it. That鈥檚 what makes the work interesting and rich, is being able to visualise all of the different things that I鈥檝e experienced and different stories that I鈥檝e heard. It鈥檚 not just me coming and taking photos. I have memories of church, I have memories of being an immigrant in a place where I didn鈥檛 know anyone. The environment was very different. The weather was not what I was used to. So all of these things formulate what is my final piece.鈥澛
The exhibition also features the work of seven rising stars in UK photography, who explore issues of history, identity, race, gender and religion. Shaun Connell pays tribute to his Jamaican mother and Christian faith believers in Bradford, whilst fellow Yorkshire artist Roz Doherty captures both the energy and uncertainty of youth in a new set of studio portraits.聽Dohety鈥檚 pictures are particularly refreshing in their representation of various body types, disability, ages and races. The artist refuses to neglect any corner of present-day society.聽Miriam Ali and Haneen Hadiy both focus on Scotland, with Ali spotlighting grassroots activists from community organisations in Glasgow, whilst Hadiy views the beauty of Scottish landscapes through the lens of Islamic symbolism. Chad Alexander explores the transformation of an Irish National Foresters club in Dungannon 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 local game changes from the city鈥檚 African and Caribbean disaporas. Together, these artists offer a distinctly modern view of the nation, reflecting the complex and evolving nature of UK identity.聽聽
In a world that feels more divided every day,聽Nationhood: Memory and Hope聽is an essential reminder of what unites us. It is an uplifting celebration of how diversity makes the country, community and our everyday lives richer and more colourful.聽
Nationhood: Memory and Hope is at Impression Gallery, Bradford until 26 April:
Words: Emma Jacob
Image Credits:
The Dew at Dawn, 2024, part of The Necessity of Seeing collection 漏 A茂da Muluneh courtesy Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture and Impressions Gallery.
Reflections of the Seeker, 2024, part of The Necessity of Seeing collection 漏 A茂da Muluneh courtesy Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture and Impressions Gallery.
Solidarity Forever, 2024, part of The Necessity of Seeing collection 漏 A茂da Muluneh courtesy Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture and Impressions Gallery.
The Edge of Tomorrow鈥檚 Memory, 2024, part of The Necessity of Seeing collection 漏 A茂da Muluneh courtesy Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture and Impressions Gallery.
