Ayesha Jones and Maryam Wahid in conversation with Nicola Shipley

Artists Ayesha Jones and Maryam Wahid are in conversation with Nicola Shipley, Director, GRAIN Projects, on how photography can be used as a tool for addressing difficult subjects. This is a free event, please consider making a donation when booking your ticket.

Ayesha Jones has been commissioned by Birmingham Hospice and Ikon to present Leave A Light In My Room (17 – 20 August 2023) which features photographs of, and document conversations with, the Erdington Asian Group, north Birmingham. Ikon presents Dreams of Brum (31 August – 3 September 2023), an exhibition of Maryam Wahid’s photographic portraits, taken at Handsworth Library during a series of creative community workshops.

This event is presented as part of The Migrant Festival 2023. 

About the participants

Ayesha Jones (b. 1990) is an artist based in the West Midlands. She works predominantly with photography and film and is interested in art as a catalyst for growth, healing and social impact. Jones’ work has been exhibited nationally and internationally and she has won awards, including Magnum Photos and The Photography Show’s 30 under 30 international award, Portrait of Britain (2022 and 2023) and Decade of Change. Jones’ solo exhibition Motherland was exhibited as part of Coventry City of Culture 2021. She uses her family lineage as a mixed heritage person, to highlight the interconnected nature of identity, humanity, nature and all things.

Maryam Wahid (b. 1995) is a Birmingham-based artist who uses the medium of photography to explore identity, womanhood, memory, migration, home and belonging. Wahid had an exhibition, Zaibunnisa, at Impressions Gallery, Bradford (8 April – 1 July 2023). Wahid has won multiple awards, including the Portrait of Britain by British Journal of Photography, and been a recipient of numerous commissions from Arts Council England and British Council. She was also a judge for several art competitions, including Hold Still at the National Portrait Gallery. Wahid’s work has been exhibited nationally and internationally at venues such as Midlands Arts Centre, Ffotogallery (Wales) and Museum of Gdańsk, Poland.

Nicola Shipley is a Producer, Curator, Mentor and Consultant specialising in contemporary photography. She is co-founder and Director of GRAIN Projects, a Board Member of Photofusion and a member of the UK National Photography Network. Shipley co-founded GRAIN as a platform for contemporary photography, to support emerging photographers and as a space that champions photography for all. Delivering projects in collaboration with partners  regionally, nationally and internationally, GRAIN create new opportunities for practitioners and audiences to engage with photography. GRAIN’s programme offers a diverse range of experiences for many communities in the West Midlands and much of the work is about identity and representation and is socially engaged.