Aïda Muluneh - Nationhood: Memory and Hope

Описание: Travel behind the camera with Ethiopian photographer, Aïda Muluneh, as she creates new work for the landmark exhibition Nationhood: Memory and Hope, open now at Impressions Gallery.

"The act of creativity, there's an emotional element of it. We as artists make work, because there's something we need to get out of ourselves. But at the same time, it's also to try to engage people that don't know anything about my culture or where I come from."

This short film marks the opening of Nationhood: Memory and Hope, an outstanding collection of new photography celebrating the diversity of the UK in 2025. Curated by Anne McNeill, Director of Bradford’s Impressions Gallery, it opened during the launch weekend of Bradford 2025 – helping to kick off our year as UK City of Culture.

The centrepiece of the exhibition is The Necessity of Seeing, a major new collection of constructed images by Ethiopian photographer Aïda Muluneh. Shot through her surrealist lens at iconic locations in Bradford, Belfast, Cardiff and Glasgow, Muluneh’s new work reveals 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.

Nationhood: Memory and Hope also showcases striking new portraits by seven rising stars in UK photography: Shaun Connell and Roz Doherty from Bradford; Chad Alexander from Belfast; Robin Chaddah-Duke and Grace Springer from Cardiff; and Miriam Ali and Haneen Hadiy from Glasgow.

‘Nationhood: Memory and Hope’ is now open at Impressions Gallery. Catch the exhibition until 26 April 2025, after which it will travel to Belfast Exposed, Ffotogallery in Cardiff and Street Level Photoworks in Glasgow, later in the year. For confirmed dates at each location, please see the Bradford 2025 website.

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