GLOBAL Majority artists take centre stage at Poole’s Lighthouse arts centre throughout October in We Rise, a vibrant group exhibition showcasing award-winning and emerging artists across painting, printmaking, installation, textiles and sculpture. The exhibition is part of Black History Month 2025 and highlights the creativity and contribution of artists whose voices are often underrepresented in the region.
Reflecting on themes of heritage, identity, migration, nature and belonging, the work celebrates global majority artists living and working in Dorset, as well as invited guests, and is curated by Swanage-based artist Sharon James.
She says: “We Rise is about visibility, representation and celebration. Dorset’s global majority community is strong and creative, and this exhibition creates space for those stories to shine. We’re used to exhibiting outside of Dorset, but to have a platform in the place that we live is really important. We all enter open calls, but that means the work is usually seen in isolation and often out of context, so I wanted to be able to put on a small, curated show that shows where we’re at.”
Several of the artists represented showed work at last year’s Connected Grounds exhibition for Access BEAF at Boscombe Arts Depot and from that have come together as Boscombe Radicle Artists Collective (BRAC), with a core group of seven augmented by associate members and invited guests. More artists are waiting to join.
“A radicle is the part of a plant embryo that grows before roots are formed and, like that plant, I’m hoping BRAC will grow and flourish. Some people might be surprised at the number of Global Majority artists living and working in Dorset, but we’re finding more all the time.”
Among those exhibiting in We Rise are Dorchester-based printmaker Georgie Moore and mixed media portrait artist Jack Dickson, who lives in Blandford and was featured this year on BBC One’s Extraordinary Portraits.
We Rise runs until Saturday 1 November. It is free to see from 10am Tues-Sat and in the evening when Lighthouse is open.
Pictured: The Body Has Memory by Yeside Linney