Exhibition of work from acclaimed Ethiopian photographer Aïda Muluneh to open at Impressions Gallery, Bradford
As the highly anticipated start of Bradford’s year as UK City of Culture approaches – the opening event RISE takes place this weekend – helping to kick off the 12-month celebration of the arts is a major exhibition at the city’s Impressions Gallery.
Nationhood: Memory and Hope, which opens on Saturday, presents new work from internationally acclaimed Ethiopian artist Aïda Muluneh and seven UK photographers. A co-commission between the gallery and Bradford 2025, the centrepiece of the show is The Necessity of Seeing, a major new collection of constructed images by Muluneh, shot through her surrealist lens at iconic locations in Bradford, Belfast, Cardiff and Glasgow. The images reveal the overlooked stories, forgotten histories and quiet moments that shape us and our communities.
“This is the first time that Aïda has made work in Europe so it is really exciting,” says Anne McNeill, director of Impressions Gallery who curated the show. McNeill and Bradford 2025 creative director Shanaz Gulzar had been in conversation about a co-commission for quite some time. “We knew we wanted a big-name photographer but not necessarily one from Europe. We looked around and we both came to this conclusion separately because we are both long term fans of Aïda’s work,” says McNeill. “I was on a bus in London and Shanaz was in South Korea and I texted her and asked her who she had in mind. When she sent me her reply I was delighted – it felt like it was meant to be. So, we extended an invitation to Aida and explained to her about the UK City of Culture and why we wanted to commission her.”
The exhibition is breaking new ground in that it is the first ever UK City of Culture project to take place in all four nations of the UK. A Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture and Impressions Gallery commission in partnership with Belfast Exposed, Ffotogallery Cardiff and Street Level Photoworks, Glasgow, the exhibition will premiere in Bradford before touring to the three partner venues. “Collaborative working is important to us and we wanted to show the strength of photography across the nation,” says McNeill. “We had a few online meetings and Aïda and she was very excited that it was going to be the four nations of the UK. She is interested in class and race and history and identity which are themes she explores in her work.”
For The Necessity of Seeing, Muluneh worked with a young Bradford actor as a model using make-up, costume and props to create intricately constructed, very striking images. “Each image features the same model in different locations in the four cities,” says McNeill. “Aïda shoots a series of images and then layers them.” The effect of that layering reflects the richness, diversity and complexity of the histories of the featured cities and by extension the UK as a whole. As Muluneh explains in her artist statement each city became her canvas: “Every street, building, and person I encountered contributed to the foundation of my creative process.” She adds: “Each city revealed stories of a nation negotiating between the weight of its past and the challenges of its present.”
Alongside The Necessity of Seeing, the exhibition also presents A Portrait of Us, Muluneh’s powerful black and white photographs of unsung community heroes from the same four cities, first seen on billboards around Bradford in the autumn of last year. The images celebrate the resilience and determination of those unassuming people who are working tirelessly to effect change for the benefit of all. As Muluneh remarks: “Their presence reminded me that progress is often driven by those who act without the need for recognition.”
The exhibition also showcases new portraits by seven rising stars in UK photography. They include the work of two Bradford photographers – Shaun Connell whose series Near the Cross was inspired by the church community he is part of and pays tribute both to his Jamaican mother and the Windrush Generation; and Roz Doherty whose series The Bradfordians, seven studio portraits of young people in Bradford, captures both the energy and uncertainty of youth. Also featured is the work of Belfast photographer Chad Alexander; Robin Chaddah-Duke and Grace Springer from Cardiff and Miriam Ali and Haneen Hadiy from Glasgow.
“We asked all the photographers to look to the communities that they are part of and who they work with,” says McNeill. “It was a really open commission and they came back with such interesting projects. Each photographer shines a light on their city in different ways and what has come through is the authenticity of the work everybody has made. I think the exhibition is like a love letter to Great Britain at a time when we need hope.”
Nationhood: Memory and Hope, Impressions Gallery, Bradford, January 11-April 26. Free entry. Impressions-gallery.com For details of events for Bradford UK City of Culture 2025 visit bradford2025.co.uk