SHELTER Catalogue

SHELTER THE OUTSIDE IN NATIONAL EXHIBITION 2025/26

SHELTER

We Seek Shelter To Escape Being safe is a fundamental human requirement, not always easily achieved in our troubled world.

We seek shelter to escape from the challenges life and nature can pose to us, a place where we can be ourselves and seek solace. A building can provide shelter, but also be a place of risk and fear and being homeless is an extremely difficult position to be in. (In 2023-24, 324,990 households were assessed as homeless, 153,830 of the total being children, and approximately 1 in 62 young people were living in temporary accommodation.)* What is remarkable in the artists’ work selected for this exhibition is not just their ability to express the importance of shelter to them and wider society, but also to be given an insight into what shelter can mean in a broader sense.

Many artists find shelter in their art, a safe place to be and reflect to escape from a troubled situation or a place to find healing. Being creative is a tool we all have access to, it is one of the most powerful human abilities, it enables us to show that we exist and that we have ideas and thoughts to share. We are fortunate that the Baring Foundation has awarded us funding to host a conference during our ‘Shelter’ exhibition, Art as Refuge, that will enable a wider discussion about the importance of creativity to artists and wider society.

This will be my last National Open exhibition as director of Outside In. I started with the intention of bringing the outside in, enabling artists to have a fairer opportunity and to leave the art world in a better place than I found it and I am leaving it with a wonderful team and programme of activity but still much to do. Artists are at the heart of the charity and are why we do the work we do. I am continually moved by them and their work, their willingness to continue creating and support others and the charity.

2026 marks twenty years of Outside In and I will be happy to pass the baton on for someone else to lead the work and champion the cause. My huge thanks to our previous chair, Charles Rolls, and to our new chair, Frances Christie, for all their support and guidance, also to our incredible board of trustees and amazing staff team and to all our funders and supporters who have enabled the work to happen.

Marc Steene DIRECTOR Outside In

*Stats are from Shelter.org.uk

DARREN ADCOCK - BANGS AND WHISPERS

HELEN KILBY NELSON — ‘ THE DEVIL’S IN THE DETAILS’

SHELTER

SEW N SEW - DREAMING OF HOME SWEEET HOME

Shelter: Diverse Visions of Home Artists at all career stages are represented in ‘Shelter’, and these artists in turn have interpreted the theme within a diverse range of mediums and from a multiplicity of viewpoints, from celebration of safe spaces and sanctuaries to examinations of the true meaning of home and moving depictions of lived experiences of homelessness.

In Helen Grundy’s surreal digital collage ‘Helter-Shelter’, dangling hands hold out homes which are just out of reach of the people who desperately need them. The artwork is based on the artist’s experience of working in homeless services in Birmingham and the reduction in support following the bankruptcy of Birmingham City Council. Sew N Sew’s mixed media and textile artwork, ‘Dreaming of Home Sweet Home’, concerns the right of the displaced to shelter when in a war zone and is drawn from family experience of displacement due to war and internment in work and concentration camps. Alfred Beesley’s vibrant sculpture ‘Greenhouse’ is based on his imaginings around a neighbour’s greenhouse during the pandemic lockdowns. With ‘Scene’, Kelan Andrews creates a doll’s house with a difference – rather than the customary Georgian mansion, this repossessed semi shows signs of abandonment, vandalism and squatting.

From the celebration of safe spaces and sanctuaries to examinations of the true meaning of home and moving depictions of lived experiences of homelessness.

Artist Andrew Harston has created a montage of portraits made in his local community, which enabled him to keep his ailing campervan home on the road. ‘Grow Heathrow’ is drawn from artist Isabelle Hawthorne’s experience of living in a squatted community that grew up around opposition to the building of a third runway for Heathrow Airport.

A further two artists, Chantal Pitts and Natasha Taheem, were commissioned to create new work. Chantal’s commission included an extensive residency at the Gallery with mentorship from curatorial and technical staff. The artist has produced a sculptural installation which also serves as a ‘shelter’ and information point for Outside In’s Ambassadors. Natasha has created a large drawing inspired by Mehndi Nights, a monthly event and support network they created for the South Asian LGBTQ+ community in Birmingham.

‘Shelter’ will also be accompanied by a themed sister exhibition, comprising of artworks selected from collections held by The New Art Gallery Walsall and Outside In. The exhibition has been co-created by Outside In’s Midlands Artist Advisory Group, working with Deborah Robinson, Head of Exhibitions, and Zoë Lippett, Exhibitions and Artists’ Projects Curator, from The New Art Gallery Walsall.

In addition, a two-day symposium on the theme of ‘Art As Refuge’ will be held at The New Art Gallery Walsall on 19 – 20 September, with key-note speakers, interactive events and screenings. For further information, please visit outsidein.org.uk.

LESLIE THOMPSON - THE A-TEAM

CHRISTINE THOMAS - LIMINAL DWELLING

SHELTER

Welcome to the Outside In National Open exhibition ‘Shelter’ Held every two years, our National Open exhibitions are an eagerly anticipated part of our programme. This year, our 7th National Open exhibition, we received over 600 submissions, a testament to the growing reach and resonance of Outside In. Of these, 299 artists were entirely new to our platform and the vast majority have never exhibited their work before. Their inclusion underscores our continued commitment to creating opportunities for artists who face significant barriers. Although we could only exhibit 80 pieces for this show, which has been a very tough choice for our selectors, you can enjoy all the artworks submitted as they will be shown on screens at both venues.

The impact of this exhibition can be profound. Our first prize is truly life-changing: the previous winner, Michelle Roberts, has just finished a solo exhibition at the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill -on-Sea, and this year’s winner will also be awarded a solo show.

These moments are a major milestone in the career of most artists but are also important in expanding our collective experience of contemporary art. We are also proud to share the news that Nnena Kalu, who exhibited in our 2019 National Open exhibition 'Environments', and who is supported by ActionSpace, has been nominated for the Turner Prize. Her recognition on a national stage is a reminder of the extraordinary talent that emerges when voices long unheard are given a platform.

We are not able to offer these opportunities without funding and support, and are incredibly grateful to our current funders, patrons and supporters.

If you would like to support us in any way and at any level, please do get in touch.

MICHELLE ROBERTS - HUMANITY FIRST PRIZE WINNER

GRANT ABRAHAMS - PUSHING BABY NOAH IN HIS PRAM

My thanks and a very happy 25th birthday to our partner The New Art Gallery Walsall, for your generous support and creative vision in bringing this show and its accompanying residencies and commissions to life, and to Christie’s London where the exhibition will tour in January 2026. Thanks also to our incredibly talented and tireless Exhibitions team and to all staff at Outside In who have been integral to bringing this major exhibition together.

I would also like to offer heartfelt thanks to our outgoing Chairman, Charles Rolls, whose dedication and guidance helped steer Outside In to become an independent charity in 2017. And finally, to our Founder Director Marc Steene OBE for his singular vision, as he prepares to step into pastures new and to pick up his paintbrush once again. Outside In was entirely your idea and has grown under your inspired leadership from a small outreach programme to a major, award-winning national charity, which has transformed the lives of thousands of artists. We all join in thanking you and wishing you the very brightest of futures.

I hope you enjoy this remarkable exhibition.

Yours sincerely,

Frances Christie CHAIR OF THE TRUSTEES Outside In

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SHELTER

For 25 years, The New Art Gallery Walsall has served as a vibrant cultural hub in the heart of the Black Country The Gallery presents, collects and interprets historic, modern and contemporary art in innovative and challenging ways.

Welcoming both local visitors and those from around the world, the Gallery continues to inspire through a dynamic programme of exhibitions, education, learning, public engagement and events.

As an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation and supported by Walsall Council, it remains dedicated to increasing understanding and enjoyment of the arts for all.

As part of its ongoing partnership with Outside In, the Gallery is delighted to be the first venue on this year’s Outside In National Open exhibition tour. The exhibition will provide an excellent opportunity to continue to develop access, and exhibit work by artists who face barriers engaging with the arts sector, enabling us to create further opportunities to diversity and shine the spotlight on work that could all too easily be overlooked.

In Walsall, the National Open exhibition is accompanied by a complementary exhibition, also on the theme of ‘Shelter’, featuring works drawn from the collections of The New Art Gallery Walsall and Outside In.

FOLLOW THE NEW ART GALLERY WALSALL

thenewartgallerywalsall A subject particularly pertinent today, this has been co-curated with Outside In’s Midlands Artist Advisory Group, working in collaboration with the Gallery.

newartgallery newartgallerywalsall

PHILIPPA BANDUREK BRADBURY - A SIGN OF SAFETY

HELEN GRUNDY - HELTER-SHELTER

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Thank You To All Our Supporters Outside In would like to thank Stephen Snoddy, Deborah Robinson, Zoë Lippett and all the team at The New Art Gallery Walsall, Angus Granlund and the team at Christie’s London and the Baring Foundation.

‘Shelter’ will tour from The New Art Gallery Walsall (28 June – 19 October 2025) to Christie’s in London (12–22 January 2026).

Our work would not be possible without the generous individuals, Patrons and Friends who support Outside In. Enormous thanks to them all and to our Honorary Patrons - Sir Grayson Perry, Rose Knox-Peebles, John Booth and Charles Rolls.

WE COULDN’T DO IT WITHOUT YOU:

NICOLE TAIT - SHELTER FROM THE SUN BEACH UMBRELLAS

SHELTER

ALFRED BEESLEY - GREENHOUSE

No one should experience barriers to entering the art world, an issue which Outside In is so effectively tackling.

We are delighted to play a small part in their mission, by hosting the exhibition ‘Shelter’ at Christie’s, on its London portion of the tour. Christie’s has been making real progress in diversifying access to the art market through our apprenticeship programme, and I’m delighted that our ambition and that of Outside In are so aligned. Looking forward to presenting ‘Shelter’ at King Street and to welcoming members of the public to immerse themselves in what will no doubt be an enriching creative experience.

Anthea Peers CHRISTIE’S PRESIDENT EMEA

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SHELTER

Our Selectors Deborah Robinson SELECTOR & HEAD OF EXHIBITIONS, THE NEW ART GALLERY WALSALL Deborah Robinson is Head of Exhibitions at The New Art Gallery Walsall. She has been responsible for the contemporary art programme since the opening of the gallery in 2000.

Prior to this, she was Senior Exhibitions Curator at Walsall Museum & Art Gallery where she delivered the contemporary art programme but was also part of a team planning and developing The New Art Gallery Walsall. Before this, she was Touring Officer at Ikon Gallery, Birmingham. She has also worked as a Lecturer in the History of Art at Birmingham City University and the Open University.

“It was wonderful looking through a wide range of work and sharing opinions and ideas with colleagues. While the process was enjoyable, we were extremely mindful of our responsibility to select engaging works that speak to the theme of ‘shelter’ in different ways.”

Zoë Lippett SELECTOR & EXHIBITIONS AND ARTISTS’ PROJECTS CURATOR, THE NEW ART GALLERY WALSALL Zoë Lippett is Exhibitions and Artists’ Projects Curator at The New Art Gallery Walsall, where she curates exhibitions of contemporary art and manages the Gallery’s Artists’ Studio programme.

Prior to this, Zoë was Art Collections Curator and, later, Exhibitions Curator at Wolverhampton Art Gallery, where she managed the exhibitions programme and played a pivotal role in developing the Gallery’s art collections. Before this, she worked in the Exhibitions team at Ikon Gallery, Birmingham and as a Learning Facilitator for Birmingham Museums.

“Participating on a judging panel is always a privilege. The opportunity to absorb so much art in one sitting is such a stimulating experience. You are aware, all the time, of being part of a process that will widen audiences for so many artists who may not have exhibited their work before. This feels very meaningful and best kind of support we can give, as curators.”

EXODUS CROOK PHOTO CREDIT : MARLEY STARSKEY BUTLER

Exodus Crooks SELECTOR & MULTIDISCIPLINARY ARTIST, EDUCATOR, AND WRITER Exodus Crooks is a British-Jamaican multidisciplinary artist and educator, interested in selfdetermination and how it is steered by religion and spirituality.

Exodus’s practice exists in the orbit of their educational role, working to reimagine Western pedagogy. They have trained, and untrained, to be a teacher and now prioritise using art as a tool to have hard conversations, softly. Exodus is currently experimenting with gardening, text, filmmaking and installation to better understand indigenous thought and tend to the breaks that occur in the human experience.

“Being a selector is a really humbling and exciting job and opportunity because as an artist, I’m always on both sides of that in many ways. But it’s also a really difficult job because, especially in this case, everything is so incredible, the quality of art, the effort, the technique, the concepts are so high, it does get quite difficult to then make decisions.”

Pamela Schilderman SELECTOR & OUTSIDE IN ARTIST, AMBASSADOR AND MIDLANDS ARTIST ADVISORY GROUP MEMBER “My practice is influenced by science exploring notions of identity and individuality through repetition, often juxtaposing microcosm and macrocosm as though adjusting the lens of a microscope. I seek to challenge people’s preconceptions and definitions of painting, drawing and sculpture through varied approaches and the use of unconventional materials like blood.

“History plays a critical role in my museum interventions, where I instigate a three-way dialogue between the onlooker, the permanent collections and my art at its core. Ultimately, my art evokes uncertainty by revealing a part, but not the whole - it teases the viewer’s cognitive senses by blurring the distinction between what they know and what they see.

“It’s the first time I’ve been asked to be a judge. And it’s a really fair process because everybody gets looked at and we have lots of judges, so it’s not like there’s only one or two people deciding.”

George Parker-Conway SELECTOR & OUTSIDE IN ARTIST AND STEP UP ALUMNI George Parker-Conway works with supported studio Venture Arts in Manchester. George creates portraits and drawings in traditional and digital media, inspired by history, politics, film and entertainment.

In 2020 George was commissioned by Manchester Histories to create a portrait of Alf Morris, the MP who pioneered the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act (CSDPA). To mark the 50-year anniversary of this landmark legislation, Manchester Histories held an online festival, DigiFest, for which George also created the brand identity and illustrations. George also holds a Foundation Degree in Illustration from Stockport College.

“We’ve had sculpture, ceramics, paintings - a very broad range. I found taking part as a judge for the National Open exhibition very enjoyable and exciting.”

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SHELTER

Our Judge Karen McLean GUEST JUDGE

I explore my experiences of growing up in post-independence Trinidad in the Sixties. This was a time of significant social change that saw the dismantling of old colonial structures and the removal of barriers for black and mixed-race people like myself. Alongside the civil rights movement in America, this moment saw the start of cultural reconstruction that expanded the rights of black people.

These histories inform my identity and my art.

My practice is rooted in historical research that interrogates the complex legacies of colonialism. I have worked with sound, moving image and installations that incorporate a wide variety of evocative and symbolic materials such as sugar, blue soap, wood, beading, wallpaper and hessian bags.

Taken collectively, my practice merges historical narrative, memories, material and mythology to question the role of the artefact, encouraging audiences to create new interpretations. It asks the public to face the ongoing, and layered, colonialist traumas and its legacies.

My practice is rooted in historical research that interrogates the complex legacies of colonialism.

I am deeply honoured to have been chosen to judge the Outside In National Open exhibition. It means a great deal to be trusted with this responsibility, especially given the significance of the platform and the voices it uplifts. As someone who has spent much of my career on the periphery of the art world, I feel a strong connection to the mission of Outside In. I'm genuinely looking forward to engaging with the work and celebrating the interpretations around the theme ‘Shelter’.

KAREN MCLEAN - STITCHING SOULS: THREADS OF SILENCE

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Our Residency Artist: Chantal Pitts RESIDENCY ARTIST

I am so excited about this residency. It's such a fabulous opportunity to be able to create a site-specific piece. I make sculptures and installations, and so space is always an issue. This residency allows me to expand and explore my practice with expert guidance in a public setting.

My practice uses furniture as a medium to create sculptures, assemblage and installations that represent the self. I discover ways to interpret the intangible in tangible ways, allowing me to express who I am beyond race and gender.

I want to create a den made from everyday items, things that evoke a sense of ‘home’ – items such as furniture, textiles, household objects – building up into an ‘internal’ and ‘private’ space that is familiar yet unfamiliar in its construction.

I will use the residency to create an installation that responds to the space – something changeable, secure, using assemblage. The 21 weeks will be used to source furniture and objects from free apps such as Nextdoor and TrashNothing, breaking the items down and configuring them into a sculptural installation.

This opportunity will allow me to work in a professional setting, get expert guidance and explore my work in a gallery space... and to work bigger than I have been able to thus far.

It is wonderful for Chantal to have the opportunity to create site-specific work that will push the scope of her artistic practice through the production of large studio-based work leading to a commission. Her surreal assemblage of domestic items and furniture makes us look at them with new eyes. The theme shelter is tackled here with many dimensions – the objects that give us protection become alive.

Zoë Lippett Exhibitions & Artists' Projects Curator, The New Art Gallery Walsall

KEEP UP WITH C H A N TA L’S WO R K

chantal.pitts outsidein.org.uk/galleries/ chantal-pitts

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SHELTER

Our Commissioned Artist: Natasha Taheem COMMISSIONED ARTIST

I’m very excited to be developing new artwork. I’ve not been commissioned before to create work for an exhibition, so this is a big moment for me!

When I thought about the word ‘shelter’ in the context of the Midlands, my mind instantly went to Queer Mehndi Nights, a monthly event I started in summer ’24 especially for the LGBTQ+ South Asian community in Birmingham. These meet-ups serve as a space to connect, create and rest together in a queer affirming space. For many of us, it’s one of the few spaces we are able to show up as our whole selves. I’m excited to be honouring these nights and the community that has and continues to show up in a new artwork for the Shelter exhibition.

I would like to create a large-scale detailed drawing that makes you feel like you are in it when you stand next to it. I want it to feel like you’re stepping into the room, inviting the viewer into a queer South Asian utopia based upon Queer Mehndi Nights monthly meet-up in Birmingham. I have drawn large scale murals before, but I want this one to include personal themes of brown queer joy.

Queer Mehndi nights (@queer.mehndi.night) has become a monthly sacred safe space, a shelter for LGBTQ+ South Asians in Birmingham and beyond. We meet upstairs at Chai Ra in King’s Heath, an area which is establishing itself as a ‘the new heart of gay culture’ following Joe Lycett's Queen’s Heath Pride project.

For me, I felt an urgency to create space especially for South Asian queers.

Many of us have been rejected from our own community or are estranged from our families, making it essential to have a safe space to gather, feel accepted as a whole and not have to filter and fragment ourselves – to be able to show up as your whole self and be truly understood in the room.

Huge congratulations to Natasha. I was really impressed with Natasha’s application, the theme of the work stood out and her style so interesting. Very excited to see the work she will create for this commission.

Hannah Cooper Outside In Head of Artist Development Programme Manager

KEEP UP WITH NATASHA’S WORK

natasha.taheem outsidein.org.uk/galleries/ natasha-taheem

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SHELTER

Selected Artwork

JULIA OAK - BLACK AMBER SANCTUARY

Introducing We invite you to explore the work of our selected artists for ‘Shelter’.

Many of the works are for sale, with proceeds supporting both the artists and the charity. Please ask for a price list or contact: info@outsidein.org.uk

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Meet The Artists

Adrian Mundy OAK CUBES Dried autumn leaves provide shelter for plenty of creatures as they try to survive the dark, cold winter months, hoping to emerge safely in the spring. For me, in constructing this work, the repetitive process of applying leaf after leaf gives me shelter from negative, anxious thoughts, as I try to overcome years of crippling agoraphobia. Oak Cubes was made for display at Art in the Garden, an open studio type event in the Hampshire countryside.

Alan Morgan SAFE HARBOUR Due to my mental health problems and when I am able, I like to paint how I am not feeling. An artistic anti-dote to the hurt that is inside. Using simple shapes and warming colours, a quite complicated piece becomes unarming, and I hope, accessible to the viewer.

Alfred Beesley GREENHOUSE My neighbour has a greenhouse over the road. During the pandemic I would look over to the greenhouse and wonder what could be growing. I wanted my own greenhouse, to grow and tend to plants. When I returned to Blue Room, my supported studio at the Bluecoat, I decided to make my own greenhouse; with sliding doors and a window that opens. I like putting seeds in plant pots and watching them grow on the windowsill. I like to see what colours the flowers are going to be. I imagine a greenhouse would be a lovely place to be.

Alice Kin SNATCHED THATCH Made from found, foraged and natural materials. Kin plays with scale and the contrast of soft, hard, fragile, and durable materials.

Snatched Thatch draws on fairy tales (Three Little Pigs), desire, and the loss of affordable housing.

Ana Christmas CHEETAH I made this while recovering from a stint in a mental institute in Durham in 2020 (I’m based in Brighton). When I got back to my flat, there was another Covid lockdown, and I didn’t leave the flat for months. I hid until long after the lockdown ended. I doodled a lot after my episode. In hospital, I was banned from having pens after I wrote the hospital address on the wall hoping a friend would know where to find me and bring me home. My doodles around this time were quite symbolic and made to soothe myself.

Anahita Harding WINDOW - FRAME - CARPET This piece draws inspiration from patterns of Persian carpets, traditionally symbols of comfort, protection, and a sense of home.

Layered on top of a painted-over collage, the work evokes the feeling of looking out through a window. The collage incorporates images and text from books about architecture and staircases, chosen to highlight the tension between inviting spaces and the barriers they often pose to physically disabled people. By contrasting comfort with a critique of inaccessible design, this work reflects on the concept of shelter as a space that should welcome and protect yet often excludes those who need it most.

Andrea Sayers WELCOME HOME This is my forest, a place of safety and security; familiar, welcoming, cosy, friendly, where everyone is always glad to see me, home to my favourite things, with friendly characters all around, some you can’t even see. The trees are overarching guardians protecting us from storms, always happy to listen, share stories, or you can just lean against them. Whenever I return from venturing out into the ‘real’ world I am glad to come back home and be welcomed by my friends. This place of shelter gives me comfort and strength whilst I navigate the uncertain world, a forever safe haven.

Andrew Harston INSIDE OUT Earlier this year, amidst a raft of life collapses, I was left jobless, out of cash and broken down, both literally and metaphorically, in my poorly campervan. The council wanted to move me on—the van fine where it stood as long as I wasn’t inside! I was blessed with community and chance which led me to turn to portraiture as my source of income. Though I am still finding my way, portraiture allowed me to keep my home, connect more deeply, and find some form of meaning and direction! This has been my shelter.

Anna B Heelas THERE’S A TIGER IN MY SITTING ROOM This is a painting of the room I paint in. A studio/sitting room and for me it’s a safe and comfortable space. Due to my chronic pain, I struggle to sit for long periods. But here I have a chair I can sit in for a few hours and paint, which means the world to me. This is my sanctuary.

Anne Smith THE VILLAGE Anne’s monoprint depicts a small village protected with fortified walls and towers providing shelter to its inhabitants.

Avrilimages ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE After being homeless in March 2020 in the pandemic, I now have my safe place to live free of fear. I love my simple life appreciating my little home with the warmth of a bed and blankets. All people should be protected and given shelter and food in the world.

Having shelter again at age 63 is like being safe in the womb of my mother, the only time I was ever safe from the horrors of abuse.

Berni BEAUTIFUL BRAIN I am a disabled person from birth, now a full-time wheelchair user. I now identify as being Neurodivergent. This work is symbolic of the feelings of being misunderstood, overwhelmed and isolated since childhood. Working on this artwork provided shelter. It gave me a sense of calm and focus at a time when this could not be achieved in other areas of my life. It provides insight into the things that are important to maintaining my well-being, such as memories of my childhood tortoise Fred, spending time in nature, art and living a life of meaning and purpose.

Carolina Larrain-Pulido ABODE A No Fault Eviction launched me into an abyss of flat hunting in a city without affordable and safe accommodation. Housing becomes an emergency, amongst which I realise I’ve lost my home. ‘Abode’ portrays a journey alluding towards the importance of homes, their difference in regard to ‘houses’, and their fragility in contemporary society. I repurpose ‘moving supplies’ creating a mixed media collage in which materials needed for building a home are at view. Simultaneously, I use textiles to contrast and comment on the complexity of our homes, vulnerable ecosystems that could collapse at any time. dissident-art.com

Caroline Channing IF SOMEONE ASKS, THIS IS WHERE I’LL BE The work represents the feeling of being safe and secure at home in your own small corner of the world while also remembering that you are part of the vast universe. The cyclical nature of day and night is the framework we live in and almost take for granted.

The viewer can rotate the glass through daytime to nighttime as often as they like by turning the handle.

Carrie Mason NEST The sculpture is made from an old book about birds and their nests. Books have always been my sanctuary, when things feel too much, I hide between the covers of a book. The three small handmade book “eggs” that nestle in the safety of the nest have found text and images from the original book and tell stories of nests as shelter.

Cat Lee GREG’S HUT AND OTHER STORIES This artwork features various landmarks on the Pennine Trail, including Greg’s Hut Bothy and Cross Fell shelter. Greg’s Hut was originally built as a blacksmith’s and to house miners in the 1800s.

These days it is used by local shepherds and is a place of refuge for hikers on the trail. The cross shaped stone shelter on Cross Fell gives protection to walkers from the strong helm winds. The Pennines have a rich mythology; a landscape steeped in stories of adventure and the challenges of traversing such a wild landscape.

Chelsea Dalton DUNDAS CLOCK TOWER I am from Canada and moved over here a few years ago. I used to live in Dundas and made some work about the buildings that I miss in Canada. That was my home, The Dundas Clock tower reminds me of my hometown.

Cheryl Cordier LION IN A TREE Cheryl’s drawing of a lion in its natural habitat delights in the details of the luxuriant surrounding foliage, providing protection and reassurance.

Christine Thomas LIMINAL DWELLING I create small domestic dwellings as an object using a variety of materials, this dwelling is created from textiles and embroidery techniques. This draws on the history of textiles being regarded as women’s work. The dwellings are then taken through my own process of walking into my creative mindset, to be photographed in rural and geographical liminal spaces. These dwellings are part of my practice led research fine art PhD investigation into domestic abuse in rural and liminal spaces.

Christopher Hoggins MY IDEAL HOME At the time I painted this I was being thrown out of my home of 13 years and had just discovered that I was autistic. I have always wanted to live somewhere isolated, and a lighthouse fits the bill perfectly.

Christy Burdock POSH TIN CAN I went to the Royal College of Art very late in life. I had to overcome multiple barriers to get there. In my last year I won a travel award. I sailed to New York, to draw the inhabitants of the QM2. However, at the time, as now, migrants were also on the seas, trying to find a better life. The sharp contrast in circumstance, between those that had good fortune to be born in a wealthier country and those born in a poor country, haunted me as I sailed across the seas. A sad journey for all.

Claire Rudland FETISH SPIRIT DOLL When out of shelter I feel exposed and vulnerable, threatened that I might break down. The Fetish Spirit Doll is a temporary protection from danger, a shelter and shield from harmful elements. It is my safe haven/home/womb/quiet/protected space where I shut the outside world out. Then I’m protected.

I belong to me and only a few people. While doing my work I get to another level and all else ceases to exist. My art is my place to go to for shelter and help. Trinkets and amulets offer protection against the evil gaze. My medicine in grief, a healing process.

Claire White MY ADHD UMBRELLA This umbrella is about my experience of living with undiagnosed ADHD and the challenges that it brought me. The umbrella is two sided: the outside is the undiagnosed me. It is raining on the figures and shows the challenges. The inside of the umbrella is after diagnosis. The sun is shining, I feel relief and joy after years of suffering. It represents the literal shelter that an umbrella offers and the metaphorical shelter that having a diagnosis can offer. As a late diagnosed person who slipped through the net it’s been life changing to have medication and answers.

Colin Cameron AT THE SHELTER, AWAITING THE NO. 69 BUS TO HELL VIA NORMALCY This is a painting of three people standing picking their noses at a bus shelter. There is a dog defecating in the background.

Generally speaking, there is something unpleasant going on in the background of most people’s lives. Being positioned as an Outsider is great, because it enables you to look in and see how fucking ridiculous normal people are. They can’t see it, because they’re all too busy trying to be like each other and to win each other’s approval. Shelters are not always good places.

Darren Adcock BANGS AND WHISPERS The picture is a place I went to whilst escaping an abusive relationship where I had to leave as my life had been threatened.

I drew this to cope. It’s a special drawing for me as even though it’s done under tough circumstances it was my haven.

Darren Gallagher THE WOOLPACK I love watching soaps and I love pubs, they make me happy! I love watching Emmerdale and the Woolpack is the pub in that. I have visited it a lot with my family. It makes me happy.

Deborah Lobo WAITING FOR LOVE Since having lost my sight, my husband has been my Shelter, he has guided, supported and championed me, encouraging me to branch out and to not give up. This photograph was the first meaningful photograph I took following sight loss. His shadow can just be seen as he descends the stairs

Dominic Bennett THE LEGION OF VILLAINY I am The Puzzler. I provide Shelter in my Legion of Villainy for all the Outcasts. They are like family to me. They have been hunted by the police and superheroes. I want to keep them safe.

Together we are stronger. We will change the world and bring the chaos. Our safe haven is in my hideout, in my mind. I have made my characters before in textiles, ceramics and digital art, as well as recording music about them. This time I have recreated them in fused glass. I hope you like them.

Drew Fox THE MEDIEVAL BRIGAND This artwork represents myself at the age of 20 and the nine years I spent living in a traditional gypsy bender tent. I travelled the country from county to county harvesting seasonal crops as an itinerant agricultural labourer whilst living in a travelling commune. The artwork includes the entirety of my possessions during this period, consisting mainly of tools and items essential to living in a temporary shelter which would be set up, lived in for a matter of weeks before being taken down, moved and set up again.

Ellis Kay Morgan THE FIRST HOME IS THE BODY Access to shelter is inherently gendered. Women and genderdiverse people face unique barriers to safe housing, often experiencing hidden homelessness, exploitation like sex for rent, or remaining in violent situations due to a lack of alternatives.

Textiles - as extensions of the body - carry the stories of lived experience embedded in the cloth. Made from my own clothing, this work draws on the material history of cloth to give voice to hidden stories—highlighting the unseen exploitation of gendered bodies in the search for shelter and safety.

Emma Watson TELEPHONE BOX Emma’s image depicts herself in a London telephone box, finding shelter from the winter weather in the heart of the city. The bright red acts as a beacon for the protection on offer.

Frances Halsey SHELTER OF THE TREES This piece is hand painted across two 1:76 scale model shipping containers. This piece is inspired by eerie forest mists in a graffiti/ street art style. Forests naturally provide a comforting shelter which Frances has always found calming and loves walking and exploring the treescapes. The design is painted onto shipping containers which Frances has had a lifelong fascination with.

Containers are regularly used for shelter and provide homes to many.

Gaelle Chassery NESTING: REGULATION STATION As a chronically ill autistic artist recovering from c-PTSD, sheltering for regulation is an essential form of self-care to stay functional in a recurrently challenging world and body. The woolly nest conveys comfort, safety and protection. It is heavy and smells soothingly of sheep. A miniature blanket provides relaxation and warmth. Books have been an instrumental mainstay to preserve mental health in times of trauma, so there is a tiny woolly book in the nest. The minuscule brain represents the main recipient of this healing and recharging time, humorous nods to larger sensory sculptures I have crocheted with Scottish wool.

Grant Abrahams PUSHING BABY NOAH IN HIS PRAM I like pushing baby Noah in his pram. He’s my nephew. He is cosy in his pram. I look after him.

Hannah ‘Hanecdote’ Hill CLOSER THAN I THOUGHT This artwork is about how harmful family favouritism can be and how it can transcend through multiple generations. It is also about healing, feeling love, safety and breaking generational trauma. My Mum wasn’t raised with love, in fact she was singled out for no reason and made to feel like she didn’t belong. Yet she was able to create a loving, safe home which is our haven, where we can be ourselves, free and authentic. As I am immunocompromised, my home and my safety are so important to me, I feel protected and cared for, as everyone deserves to feel too.

Helen Alexander Bristow SHELTER My idea of shelter is somewhere that I can get away from dayto-day life and seek peace and quiet. My urban back garden is a haven. The shed is a retreat where I can shelter from the weather, have a coffee, practice mindfulness and see the work that I have accomplished at the end of the day. My favourite season is Autumn, one of the busiest times in the garden, clearing leaves, cutting back and getting ready for winter. The garden is overlooked by different styles of houses which I also wanted to include, equally a shelter/home for other people’s lives.

Helen Bashford CUDDLED UP A shelter becomes a home when someone’s there. Dogs give shelter to us when our lives are frightening. They stay alongside us, lean against us, and help steady us when the world gets shaken and nowhere feels safe. They are my ultimate shelter from the storms that rage inside and out.

Helen Grundy HELTER-SHELTER This artwork references my career working in homeless services in Birmingham. For a decade I have supported homeless adults find a home. Being homeless is deeply traumatic. Housing is a basic need and my work illustrates the struggle to get out of homelessness. The hands dangle the promise of affordable housing and the helter-skelter represents the bidding system many councils use to rehome people. People go round and round, for years and can still end up spat out at the bottom with no home. My work is also an homage to Gee Vaucher’s work with the anarcho-punk art collective, Crass.

Isabelle Haythorne GROW HEATHROW Grow Heathrow was squatted land occupied by a community of people who built their own off-grid homes in Sipson, West Drayton. It began in 2010 to protect the land from Heathrow Airport’s expansion plans and to provide shelter for those that needed it. The project aimed to support long-term community resilience and to provide a model for future non-hierarchical, consensus-based communities. I stayed there intermittently and began a series of paintings of the hand-built homes. In 2021 we discovered that Grow Heathrow would be evicted. This image shows two residents outside their home the evening before eviction, their belongings scattered across the ground.

Jacob Rock SNARLING DOG CHAINED TO ITS DOG KENNEL This snarling dog chained to its kennel is my response to the Shelter theme. Evolving from accumulations of scavenged roadside materials, discarded after outliving their use, worthless, defective and broken. Domesticated, a freak of a brutal, raw, alienated and fragmented society, born in captivity, its behaviour conditioned, accustomed to be chained up outside. A reconstruction and reuse of unusable materials prompting insights into refuse, refuge, shelter and indifference. This sculpture has a crude, punky appearance, bodged, botched and cobbled together, a DIY ethos from being a teenage Kings Road punk in 1976-7; developed to adapting, reusing cast-offs of contemporary society.

Jane Athron HOME SWEET HOME This work is in response to all the murders of children in Gaza and seeing their mothers holding their bodies, and for all those left behind with no mother’s arms to cradle them.

Jason Kattenhorn QUEER TIME Being queer means you get to thrive in your chosen tribe, they shelter you from the storm. Your tribe is a sanctuary where you can heal, thrive, and affirm who you are, especially when it comes to the unique challenges we face as a queer community.

By providing a nurturing, inclusive, and supportive environment, chosen families make a profound difference in the lives of LGBTQ+ individuals seeking much needed shelter.

Jennifer Camilleri MY SAFE SPACE My home is a place of safety as well as shelter. Once I close the door, I can shut out the outside things that sometimes scare me.

Jennifer Smith MEDIEVAL CASTLE Jennifer’s painting shows a figure on horseback (and a hawk) situated in a lush area protected by high castle walls and towers.

These fortifications are almost ‘humanised’ themselves and seem to offer a complete defence against the outside world.

Jim Pooley EMERGENCY SHELTER FOR A NEW-BORN INFANT Bullet and explosive-resistant foldable shelter. Made as part of Colour Visions, an Engine Room project collaborating with asylum seekers in Reading. The iridescent coating is reminiscent of the wing cases of rose chafer beetles seen on our artist-led walks in Louse-Hill Copse.

Jo Gilbert SAFETY SEEKING I’m making my home into my shelter, my safe place. Allowing myself the time to gently create, to be, can also offer rare mental, emotional shelter, glimpses of calm. For many years, where I’d lived hadn’t felt safe, there was no peace or quiet, despite seeking it. Seeking safety is an ongoing process. This piece isn’t pristine, it is made from elderly family tablecloths, from comforting sheets that I had as a child, it is threadbare in places, repaired and held together. It is fragile. As peace is fragile, so is shelter.

Jo Hudson A QUIET PLACE My idea of Shelter is an escape from the noise of the world or the noise in my head. Finding shelter from dark thoughts or mood by walking in the woods, listening to birdsong, finding “treasures” and feeling more like myself, with a quiet mind.

As a lifelong insomniac I’ve sometimes imagined myself in a small, circular shelter when sleep eludes me. Somewhere in nature, where I feel calm, quiet and safe. I decided to create a physical representation of this imaginary quiet place. Within this piece also lies the idea that Shelter can be an illusion, a facade, Impermanent.

John Joseph Sheehy SHELTERED HOME I found this material off the street, and it inspired this poem. It is reflective of my own experiences on the street, homelessness and mental illness. Art and poetry can take you somewhere else, heal you and help you see yourself with compassion.

Jordan Aitchison MY NEIGHBOURS’ FACES My pal Jenny, friends and neighbours on my street.

Joseph Scrobb I’LL BE IN THE WOODS This is an attempt to represent my relationship with the natural landscape; a place of escape, of solace, of shelter from the world.

A place where I feel more in touch with nature, but also a place of anxiety, where my OCD causes discomfort and fear regarding the reality of physically touching nature. Here I no longer want to inhabit an uncomfortable and disabled body, but to become something wild and primordial, under the roots, in the earth. But I cannot. I must be human, afraid and alone.

Juli Fejer NO SHELTER This painting evokes my experience of suffering a migraine while waiting for a train at Denmark Hill station. The painting shows the despair and isolation of living with persistent pain, from which there is no respite. The painting draws a parallel between largely forgotten chronic pain sufferers, who have no visible signs of disability, and the many marginalised people who live rough in the capital city, for whom there is no shelter, beyond that which can be found in spaces such as disused railway arches. They are treated as if they are invisible.

Julia Oak BLACK AMBER SANCTUARY For me shelter is a concept, not a physical place. I can find shelter wherever I can make marks on paper. My drawing process takes me to a safe place where I can be, can talk, can walk without negative criticism. It transmutes the experience of domestic violence into something more beautiful, more loving. I am one with the pen and I dowse the marks I make, and they come forth.

I am watched over by my ancestor, Nanya, the mother of ‘The Boxgrove Man’. I wrote a poem about her, and she has been with me ever since.

Justine Roland Cal EVICTION I created this painting after I witnessed a neighbour Nadia, who was Algerian, get evicted from her flat in the same block where I lived in social housing in the Paris suburbs. I was shocked about how many police were there when she was just a young mother with her baby. It was symbolic of the racism directed at Algerians in Paris at this time, and how vulnerable someone is if they are in rent arrears. The image that stayed with me was of the toys and her few personal possessions, which were scattered around her as she was clutching her baby.

Katherine Lubar WOOD GREEN When I first saw this light pattern on the steps of a tube station, I knew it could potentially be the ideal source material for a painting. My recent work has primarily focused on steps, and I’m fascinated by the way light patterns and shadows refract over them, creating repetitive yet differing shapes. The steps in this painting lead down to the darkness and safety of an underground station, many of which provided shelter from bombs during WWII. There is also something about being underground that feels safe, a protection from the outside world.

Kazvina WAKE UP Wake Up is print and acrylic on unstretched canvas. I was thinking about places of safety: the home, the painting studio, tucked up in bed asleep. These places become dangerous if I don’t stay awake and alert. I have nightmares. As an artist, I have to wake up. The safe place for me is always making art. As a child, I would find somewhere to draw. The chaos surrounding me faded into the background. I’d draw my fears, they’d lessen. In this way, I think of art as sheltering me.

Kelan Andrews SCENE This piece revisits my childhood obsession of creating scenes out of toys and miniatures. The antithesis of an idyllic Georgian mansion dolls house, this scene shows a repossessed semidetached property with signs of abandonment, vandalism and squatting. A playful amalgamation of previous experimentations with space, access and scale. Exploring territory outside just that of my disability. Investigating the more dynamic and multifaceted aspects of myself and artistic practice. 30% of all proceeds will be donated to the charity Mustard Tree.

Kim Waine-Thomas HANGING BY THE THREADS As a gardener, every dig reminds me that soil is more than dirt— it’s a vital shelter for countless microbes, worms, fungi, and insects. With half of Earth’s species living in soil, its biodiversity is immense and fragile. This hidden world mirrors our own existence, highlighting how small we are and how carelessly we destroy nature. In my artwork, shadows represent what we see, what we forget, and what we’ve lost. Each lump of soil holds life ‘hanging by threads’. We must protect these rich, living ecosystems before they fade into distant memory.

Kin TERMINAL DECLINE Terminal Decline is part of a series of paintings begun in 2014 to raise awareness around homelessness and the housing crisis. Some depict disused properties that have fallen into disrepair due to cuts to public funding, others show long-term neglected properties owned by multi-millionaires that have no use for them. This painting shows the former abandoned Queen Elizabeth Hospital for Children on Hackney Road before it was demolished. With its interactive lighting that viewers can turn on, this series imagines a future in which these sites are reclaimed as community-owned spaces.

Kwok Kin Chan ORWELL UMBRELLA LIGHTHOUSE This is made of clay, and origami. It is Orwell Arts, where I am learning, making art, seeing friends, happy place. The origami umbrella is to keep the rain off and the sun. To shelter.

Leslie Thompson THE A-TEAM Leslie Thompson creates artwork about his family and memories of his time spent with them, especially his late mum. Leslie spent a lot of time reading comics and watching popular TV. He would then draw his memories of these. Drawing and these memories are Leslie’s happy place. ‘The A-Team from America still alive are watching the king Prince Charles on the balcony of Buckingham Palace with Camilla waving to the crowds in London. On the old tv. ‘

Lila Wordsworth SHRINE TO FAILURE I made this when my life was falling apart. I had left my marital home, ripped my family apart and had recently lost my grandmother. During this period, the beach became a second home, and, in the absence of any suitable ritual, I made a series of shrines featuring beach waste, transforming the sad and lost plastic into something of value. This shrine features personal domestic textiles and ‘failed’ cyanotypes. I felt I had failed in many ways, but this quilt offered a spiritual home to put these feelings and offer thanks to the beach as a home when I desperately needed it.

Lizz Macfarlane ME, AND THINGS AT HOME, HAPPY “Sofa, hot chocolate, me, record player, hot water bottle. Me and things for a snooze at home. Happy.” These are the important things Lizz likes to have make a happy day.

Mark Geddis THE SHELF This painting shows my studio shelf with childhood toys and 90’s memorabilia alongside everyday items. The poet Rilke wrote about childhood being man’s true homeland, and these items I’ve carried with me speak to that. Growing up with the physical restrictions of a chronic lung condition I often took refuge in solitary play. The Shelf depicts the external remnants of an inner world which was my shelter. I’m aware how insular this interpretation of the theme seems, underlining how far we are from a world where childhood as “shelter” or “homeland” is the universal experience that it should be.

Meg Mosley SEMI-DETACHED Meg Mosley constructs emotional landscapes through her diverse artistic practice, blending video, performance, and photography.

With meticulous attention to detail in set design and costume styling, she creates narratives exploring mainstream desires and societal norms related to the female experience. ‘semi-detached,’ is taken from a series featuring Meg as a solitary figure amidst the remnants of domestic life in a recently vacated 1960s semidetached home.

Melanie Hodge SHELTER: A KINTSUGI LINE OF KINDNESS For me, shelter comes in many forms - it is physical safety, protection from the elements, a full tummy, and the many small acts of kindness that bind us together just as the craft of kintsugi mends a broken pot. Each element interlinked, interdependent, and incomplete if any part of the equation is missing. This piece itself evolved through many lines of kintsugi kindness from fellow Outside In artists - fabric from Julia Oak, Braille advice from Clarke Reynolds, stories of perseverance from Laila Kassab.

It is accompanied by a touch-piece inviting viewers to feel the warmth and weight of its care.

Nela Milic AN OBJECT FOR THE 21ST CENTURY This artwork is a sign of our times. Captured as a document that testifies about the millions of journeys taken by the migrants, refugees and asylum seekers around the world, this artefact is a memory of struggle the travellers had on their perilous ventures. This jacket was the artefact they held onto as the waves threatened to swallow them and it allowed them to be visible. This item is a shelter for the body, a shelter for memories of traumatic movement of the people, and a shelter for the only aesthetic understanding we have of displacement in Europe today.

Nicole Tait SHELTER FROM THE SUN BEACH UMBRELLAS This is a drawing in oil pastels of me, mum and dad on holiday, at the beach in the water and on the sand. The sky and sea are blue and the sand is yellow. It’s getting hotter and hotter, and we are relaxing under the beach umbrellas. When the sun is hot you need to cover up, put on sun cream, and take shelter, because it can be dangerous!

Paul Pritchard WITHIN OUR HANDS Experiencing homelessness recently, due to a housefire, highlighted the importance of shelter. Inspired by this, I have attempted to explore the very basic fundamentals that we share with our ancient ancestors, returning to the elementary creation of shelter using the materials available to them. It demonstrates how human ingenuity, manifested through our uniquely capable hands in the creation of basic shelters, symbolises our innate capacity to shape the environment. Likewise, the very same hands that can offer the shelter of a warm loving protective embrace.

Philippa Bandurek Bradbury A SIGN OF SAFETY Shelter is more than a roof; it’s a bond. These hands, signing ‘shelter’ in British Sign Language, symbolise the deep sense of safety and belonging that can only be shared between friends.

Together, they create a quiet sanctuary - a place of trust, care, and understanding where words aren’t always needed. Rendered in delicate ink, each stroke captures the intimacy and simplicity of this shared connection, reminding us that shelter isn’t just a physical space; it’s a feeling. It’s the warmth of knowing someone is there, holding space for you, and offering comfort in the shared strength of friendship.

Poppy Nash THE ART OF DYING For the chronically ill, the bed is a site of both refuge and imprisonment, sleep a place of escape and nightmare. The Art of Dying was created during a residency at the Wellcome Collection. It is a patchwork bedset that draws on the liminal spaces between waking and dreaming, health and sickness, life and death. The patches – printed and sewn on recycled material – use woodcut illustrations from a 15th century illuminated manuscript detailing the procedures of a ‘good death’. Images from everyday life are rendered in gold, blue and red, permeating the subconscious as the sleeper slips into another realm.

Roman Nogin ASH This picture is about the suffering of elderly people, lonely, left in destroyed villages in the territories of Russian aggression against Ukraine. I use the symbolic image of Ukrainian land disfigured by craters from Russian artillery, combined with the image of an elderly woman waiting in helpless suffering for the sentence of fate. This picture is the first and main one from the series “Ashes.” which now consists of 6 drawings. The drawing is created in the style of surrealism and expressionism.

Sajida Asif TINNITUS - FOREVER COMPANION This piece explores my daily life as an artist experiencing profound and partial deafness and severe tinnitus. The objects in the painting represent all the noises I hear in my head from loud sirens to trains going through my head. The coiled plant like shapes are my inner ears with pink decaying flowers representing my hearing loss. The central image shows my mind’s constant effort to create art inspired by nature as escapism to shelter me from internal struggles. Tinnitus was once an enemy that took away my peace but now a forever companion leading me to build a realm I can escape to: my shelter.

Sam Barrett VICTOR IS CHEERFULLY PREPARED FOR ANY TOUGH STORM I created this artwork using Winsor and Newton Pro markers. I started with a striking pose for my character, Victor. He is looking proud to be wearing his colourful cloak with 3 lemurs staring outwards. He is ready to go out and face any weather that comes his way. His umbrella and cloak are the best shelter to protect him from rough weather.

Sea WE ALL REMEMBER IT DIFFERENTLY This work depicts multiple perspectives on the home I grew up in.

The past is complicated, especially in families wrought from intergenerational trauma and unspoken histories. In dysfunctional homes, there’s a face that’s presented to the outside world, in contrast to the unseen dynamics which emerge behind closed doors. I hope this piece invites viewers to reflect on safe/unsafe homes and on the complicated experience of making sense of the past. I hope they will want to peer into the windows and piece together possible narratives based on these snapshots, as I have had to do with my own history.

Sew N Sew DREAMING OF HOME SWEET HOME This work explores the right of the displaced to have shelter in conflict zones, a primal necessity for survival. When removed, incumbents become vulnerable to domicide, experience inhumane treatment, violence, discrimination, health inequalities, and lack nourishment. Shelter denotes a temporary situation. For the displaced, it can last years, including intergenerational post traumatic and imposed colonial trauma.

My family experienced displacement during war and economic downturns, in concentration or work camps. The lavender stuffed armaments references the use of AI technology in war to rank targets and weaponry used versus human collateral damage, with charms hanging on gestured hands.

Steven Edgar AN UNCERTAIN SHELTER This image, made from eight photographs of a goldfinch nest, is intended to highlight the precarious nature of shelter in a country where hundreds of thousands are either homeless, or struggling in an increasingly volatile housing market.

The nest is usually seen as the archetypal safe shelter, but here it has been rendered indistinct by the process of combining images, a place where such safety is no longer certain. This nest was taken from a tree in my garden in the autumn, after it had served its purpose.In the spring, a new nest will be constructed, providing a new shelter, and hope for the future.

Tony Watson MONUMENTS, SHELTER, AND RAIN Visiting Richmond Park, I was inspired by the many trees that hosted shelter-like branch constructions. What/who were they for, who built them and why.…? Trees, especially trysting trees, hold secrets, witness lover’s liaisons, legal and political office, intrigue. These shelters revealed little but the narrative that engaged them was part of my imagination. They’re more than wood piles.…more like a symbol of shelters as a concept rather than a place. I’ve had Parkinsons for over 14 years and my imagination is my shelter… a place where things happen…it’s part of my story.

Vicki Salmi ELEPHANT NOT IN THE ROOM Elephant NOT in the Room, is a physical manifestation of carving out space for myself, where I feel seen, safe, and whole. A refuge to retreat to, to process feelings of overwhelm that is shaped by my ADHD. Each mark, stitch and layer are joyful acts, allowing all of me to exist, both the chaos and the control. Whilst the scale and materiality are declarations of visibility, of claiming space from where I have felt excluded. Even still, I feel this medium allows for itself to fold in, to both protect, and hide when necessary, however the true shelter is when it is unfurled.

W.B. Randall DAYDREAMING OF CAROLINA SUMMER AFTERNOONS I had somewhat of a turbulent early childhood. My grandparent’s house was usually mine and my mother’s safe place. I spent more time in that house than in my own, thankfully. I always felt so safe and warm in that house. Truthfully, my grandfather was the main reason for that. This painting represents the house that was usually the shelter from my father.

SHELTER

CLAIRE WHITE - MY ADHD UMBRELLA

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Exhibition Dates:

28 June to 19 October 2025 Location:

Gallery Sq, Walsall WS2 8LG

Exhibition Dates:

12 to 22 January 2026 Location:

8 King St, London SW1Y 6QT

MEG MOSLEY - SEMI-DETACHED