YOUNG people in Bradford have honoured and celebrated their own stories of migration, war, family and community through a series of striking portraits which have gone on display in the city centre.
Belongings, at Impressions Gallery in Centenary Square, is the culmination of a photography project exploring the diverse identities of eight young people living in the district.
New Focus - the young people’s collective at Impressions Gallery - has been working with award-winning photographer Maryam Wahid and Lisa Holmes at Keighley Photo Hub to create the self-portraits, which reflect the young creatives’ sense of identity and belonging.
Inspired by Maryam Wahid’s exhibition Zaibunnisa - which found the artist returning to her mother’s homeland of Pakistan to examine her cultural heritage - the members of New Focus honoured and celebrated their own histories through portraiture.
The portraits capture the power of storytelling through photography, and expose how seemingly ordinary objects can carry intense memories and instil within us a sense of connection to ourselves, our ancestors and our loved ones.
Following a series of mentoring sessions from Impressions Gallery’s curatorial team, New Focus is now displaying the photographs and stories in a series of concertina books in the gallery bookshop.
The stories presented range from a celebration of Northern Soul and a shared belonging to a subculture, to family jewellery passed down from family members who escaped war.
Belongings, which was launched on Saturday as part of Bradford Zine Fair and continues until December, features photographs and words by: Amina Ahmed, Rory Connors, Louie Haslam-Chance, Sara Mahnoor Nazim, Nathan McGill, Kyle Stansfield, Chloe Taylor, Kamila Zaborowska.
The project was brought about with support from Impressions Gallery, Bradford Community SOUP and a small project grant from Bradford Council.
Jennifer Sobol, Learning and New Focus Manager at Impressions Gallery, said: “It has been incredible watching the Belongings project develop.
“Giving New Focus the opportunity to work with award-winning photographers such as Maryam Wahid and Lisa Holmes has given them the confidence to creatively direct a series of compelling self-portraits.
The final concertina books on show at Impressions Gallery highlight the power of photography to tell stories, taking us on a journey into the lives of a diverse group of eight young people from Bradford.”
Kamila is photographed in the exhibition wearing rings passed down in her family.
She says: “These rings have been in my familv for more than 80 years. They belonged to my great-grandmother and were made by her father, who worked as a jeweller in pre-war Warsaw.”
Kyle, who is pictured wearing a cap adorned with buttons, says: “Northern Soul is, for me, the epitome of British subculture and working-class identity.
“It brought together a community in a way nothing much else has managed.”
Louie is pictured with a treasured photo of his beloved grandmother. He says: “Fashion, style and its connection to our identity is shaped by people we love, and passed through generations.
“That’s why these items, belonging to my late grandmother, are significant to me.”
Nathan, pictured holding his grandfather’s watch, says: “A testament to his legacy - my Grandad’s golden stopwatch.
“A gift from my grandmother that intertwines with our family’s narrative.
“An embodiment of tradition, love and our shared identity across generations.”
Rory’s portrait sees him wearing headphones and holding a variety of items relating to his hobbies.
Says Rory: “I have tried to cram in as many different items into my picture as possible to show my various likes and hobbies - from a football shirt to a train ticket.”
Sara is pictured holding items of traditional cultural dress.
She says: “These objects celebrate my Pakistani heritage. The red and white scarf on my knee belonged to my grandad who moved to the UK in 1959.
“As I hold up clothes he wore as a baby, it reminds me of how his journey to Bradford created a new life for me and my family.”
lBelongings runs at Impressions Gallery in Centenary Square until December 22.
Visit impressions-gallery.com
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