‘All Welcome’

For Late Night Art November we present ‘All Welcome’, an exhibition on the theme of ‘Art as Activism’ with a specific focus on challenging the growing and insidious far right narratives around immigration. 

The last couple of years alone have seen racist riots on our streets, asylum seeker housing set alight, scared families erecting flags and bunting in desperate attempts to show that they’re the ‘right kind’ of immigrant to avoid their homes being targeted, vigilante gangs attacking people 'with brown skin' in retail park carparks, multicultural centres torched, immigrant-owned businesses smashed up and burned, private homes daubed with ‘locals only'. And if that were not enough, we seem eager also to import culture wars from abroad. 

We asked artists from the Vault and other studios to respond to this lurch to the right in public discourse. Over forty artists responded with works that span a range of media, from traditional attributes of activism and protest, such as flags, zines, placards and riot shield handles, but also installations, paintings, photographs, embroidery works, prints, paintings, video, workshops, and mixed media pieces. Some tackle the theme head on, while others take a more abstract approach. All show a willingness among the artist community to come together and say enough is enough. All welcome.

List of Artists:

Cheylene Murphy, Nuala Convery, Clinton Kirkpatrick, Rob Hilken, Leo Boyd, Sally O’Dowd, John Baucher, Wendynichole McGuinness-Keys, Wilhelmina Peace, Helen Gomez, Dragos Musat, Jonathan Brennan, Philip Arneill, Sinéad O’Neill-Nicholl, Cathy Scullion, Fionnuala Duffin, Mary Jordan, Artists Against Genocide, Yasmeen Märker, Akenevilthing, Linda McBurney, Laura Nelson, Jonah Williams, Anushiya Sundaralingam, Esther Kelly, Jane Morrow, Avi Ratnayake, Ashley David John, Caelinn Seaton Kelly, Susan Pau, Anfaal Almughhallis, Salwa Alsharabi, Rarewitch, Joy Gerrard, Array.