Nationhood: Memory and Hope

Nationhood: Memory and Hope is a new exhibition of powerful and poignant photography celebrating the diversity of the UK today.

It is a love letter to all that is good in England, Northern Ireland, 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:

• Roz Doherty
• Chad Alexander
• Robin Chaddah-Duke
• Grace Springer
• Miriam Ali
• Haneen Hadiy
• Shaun Connell

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. 

Exhibition Dates

• Impressions Gallery, Bradford: 11 January to 26 April 2025
• Belfast Exposed: 5 June - 11 July 2025
• Ffotogallery, Cardiff: 26 July - 4 September 2025
• Street Level Photoworks, Glasgow: 20 September - 21 December 2025

See you there!