31/07/26 - 14/08/26
Private View, Digbeth First Friday 07/08/26 6-8pm
Stryx, Minerva Works
Elsewhere, Here brings together a carefully selected group of contemporary artists from the Middle East in an exhibition that explores presence across distance. Although the artists themselves are unable to be physically present in the United Kingdom, their works have made the journey. Crossing borders that many artists cannot easily cross, these artworks become cultural ambassadors—carrying memories, identities, histories, and personal narratives into a new context. Rather than presenting a conventional group exhibition, Elsewhere, Here has been conceived as a series of interconnected solo presentations.
Each section of the gallery is dedicated to one artist, allowing visitors to encounter individual practices in depth while experiencing the exhibition as part of a wider collective conversation. The exhibition creates space for distinct artistic voices while highlighting the shared experiences that connect many artists across the Middle East: displacement, belonging, cultural heritage, memory, resilience, transformation, and the complexities of making art across geographical and political boundaries.
These works are not presented simply as representations of a region. Instead, they offer personal perspectives that challenge singular narratives and reveal the diversity of contemporary artistic practice emerging from the Middle East today. Elsewhere, Here asks what it means to be present without being physically present. It invites audiences to consider how art can travel where people sometimes cannot, creating dialogue across borders and allowing stories to be experienced beyond the limitations of geography. In doing so, the exhibition becomes both a celebration of contemporary Middle Eastern art and a reflection on mobility, identity, and the enduring ability of artistic expression to connect people across distance.
The exhibition has been curated by No.35 Gallery in partnership with Stryx Gallery as part of a shared commitment to expanding opportunities for international artistic exchange and introducing audiences to diverse contemporary voices.