Identity and belonging among themes of new exhibition

A NEW exhibition exploring what it means to belong is opening at the Shetland Museum and Archives this weekend.

Gathered, Here is described as an artist-led collaborative exhibition developed by Zya Community as part of the Delivering Change: Community Catalysts programme.

Delivering Change is a Museums Galleries Scotland programme that seeks to address the exclusion of the histories and lived experiences of many of Scotland’s people and communities from museum spaces.

The exhibition will take place in Da Gadderie between Saturday (17 October) and 19 December.

Curated in partnership with Shetland Museum and Archives and Inlet Studio (Edinburgh), a fine art printer that supports and documents the artists’ creative journey, the project brings together five artists to explore themes of systemic exclusion, belonging and how landscape and place shape lived and living experience.

The artists explored how personal histories intersect with local heritage, and how migration, cultural inheritance and experiences of navigating layered identities shape connections to place.

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Through textiles, poetry, installation, sound, drawing and printmaking, the artists are to said to have engaged with Shetland’s museum and archive collections alongside the islands’ landscapes and communities.

Visitors are invited to contribute to a community response installation, adding their own thoughts, memories, and reflections.

As the exhibition progresses, these contributions will help create a collective record of the stories, questions and experiences that connect people.

Organisers said the project explores how community-led organisations, artists and heritage partners can work together to create space for a wider range of lived experiences and relationships with archives, collections, and heritage spaces.

Through collective curation and shared authorship, Gathered, Here reflects on what it means to be “gathered” in a place while continually navigating where and how we find belonging.

Nikki Kilburn and Lesa Ng of Zya Community said: “Gathered, Here has been about creating space for artists to respond to the heritage and culture of Shetland through a process of immersion, spending time in Shetland’s landscapes, with communities, and in the museum and archives.

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“The artists have brought their own lived experiences, cultural histories and creative practices into conversation with their research, creating work that explores heritage, identity, belonging and place through reflective and personal perspectives.

“At the centre of the project is a commitment to making space for different voices and experiences through the sharing and exploration of cultural heritage.”

Shetland Museum and Archives’ collections manager Tracey Hawkins said: “One of the most significant aspects of this project has been seeing the artists engage with Shetland, and with our museum and archives collections in ways that are both thoughtful and deeply personal.

“Gathered, Here demonstrates how collections can inspire new conversations, helping museums connect heritage with contemporary experiences and new perspectives.”