An exhibition of poetry, film, music, and sculpture by local young artists Ray, Samiir, and Nafeesa 💫

Exploring the theme of land justice from the perspective of queer Black and brown young people living in the country’s second city, their work seeks to challenge out-dated assumptions and narratives around who belongs in the natural landscape of England – a nation with a long history of excluding and displacing people from their lands, whether in England itself or in other parts of the world.

Developed as part of Write To Roam – an creative writing residency programme hosted by The GAP in partnership with The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust – the artists’ work responds to their experiences walking, wandering and writing within SBT’s heritage sites and land surrounding Shakespeare’s hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon.

Taking a playful, political and personal approach, the artists ask the questions ~

🌳 Who belongs in the English countryside, and who does the English countryside belong to?

🌄 How can we take up space in places that don’t feel safe?

⛰️What does it mean for our identities and relationship to land to be defined by legislation?

🌱How can we experiment with the act of trespassing – on land, through time, across identity?

🍀How can we heal and rewild ourselves through being in nature?

This exhibition invites you to engage with these questions and explore the intersection of identity, belonging, nature and land.

“Displacement makes a home of the world. I refuse to erase myself from English/European countrysides, even when I don’t feel welcome… If I’m here to stay, I might as well slay it and live as audaciously and authentically as possible. That’s the attitude I felt we all brought whilst being on this residency.” – Nafeesa