Diasporic Exchanges: India – Birmingham

Drop in and meet Break the Mould artist-in-residence Roo Dhissou and artist Shalini Dam in the galleries for a day of creative activity and conversation. Together, they explore themes of diaspora, care-centred practices and clay as a medium for experimentation and connection.

Developed in collaboration with Craftspace, this activation is inspired by Made in the Middle, Craftspace’s exhibition exploring how culture and creativity in the Midlands are shaped, strengthened and enriched through individual and community connections across global diasporas.

Within this context, diaspora is understood as a catalyst for expansive and plural worldviews, emphasising interdependence, collaboration and shared values. Through making and discussion, the event invites reflection on collective wellbeing and the role of creative practice in fostering care, exchange and belonging.

This activation has been developed in collaboration with Craftspace and is generously supported by the British Council

Break the Mould is generously supported by Jerwood Foundation, Freelands Foundation and ai. gallery.

About the Artists

Artist and researcher Roo Dhissou‘s practice spans sculpture, installation, moving image, craft, and community-engaged collaboration. Rooted in care, cultural context, and integrity, her work challenges dominant narratives and reflects deeply on disability, lived experience, social, environmental and material justice. Through reflective processes and ethical research, Dhissou values relationship-building and intuition, prioritising process over product to create thoughtful, impactful work.

Shalini Dam lives and works in Goa, India where she has her home studio. Dam’s work addresses contradictions and dualities hidden under the surface, communicated directly through her unusual technique which results in lenticular effects. She manipulates the surface of clay to create an optical illusion that animates the surface. As the viewer walks across the work or around it, the image changes, making the viewer’s engagement and interaction integral to the artwork. She is interested in themes of care and connection within communities and hyper-local stories. She has also been exploring film as a medium to record site specific transient and performative clay work.