Join us for the launch of Soofiya’s solo exhibition: The Things That Shape Us – a radical exploration of self-image and existing in public as a brown, visibly gender non-conforming person in Britain today.

The Things That Shape Us showcases a series of self-portraits. Soof says: “In each one I’m trying to find ways to hold space for the realities of my body and its changes beyond my control. With every painting and drawing my intention is to try to make this body feel like home. As you make your way around the space, take time to reflect on the questions asked. The power of using self-portraiture is a means to subvert an often hostile ‘cis-gender gaze’. This show invites you to share this space of living in my liminal body. Here we can grieve and share anxiety but also celebrate and build community through universal human experience around body image. At its core this work honours and affirms gender non-conformity and the ways in which a body can and does challenge Eurocentricity.”

Read more about the exhibition and artist here.

COVID SAFETY MEASURES

Please note we currently have the following Covid safety measures in place:

• Face masks are encouraged, unless exempt
• Capacity limited to 20 people at any one time
• If you are experiencing Covid symptoms or have tested positive in the last 7 days we kindly ask you not to visit the gallery to keep our staff and the public safe

Thank you for your understanding.

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Image credit: artwork by Soofiya

Image description: self portrait by artist Soofiya. Using loose expressive marks Soofiya’s self portrait is a digitally created image that looks like a painting or pastel drawing. A lush deep red, orange, brown and purple background swirls around Soofiya whose head and shoulders are visible. They are wearing black dungarees, a white jumper with multicoloured stripes and a yellow top that peeks out from underneath. They are gazing upwards into the top left hand corner of the image with their hair falling over part of their face.