Uli Painting Workshop & Talk

Join us for a workshop that explores what artistic practice can tell us about care, community, identity and how creative traditions can connect across generations.

The session introduces Uli, a traditional Igbo art practice, to explore themes of maternal care, the body and intergenerational knowledge. Historically practised by women in south-eastern Nigeria, Uli is a form of body and mural painting that expresses storytelling, symbolism, and cultural identity, and is often associated with care, protection, and everyday life.

Participants will learn about the cultural significance of Uli and its connections to nurturing and community. They will be guided step-by-step to create their own Uli-inspired designs on paper or canvas, using simple traditional patterns and contemporary approaches.

The session also offers space for reflection and exchange, inviting participants to think about personal and shared experiences of care through creative practice.

Workshop hosted by Gloria Adichie, PhD researcher at the University of Leeds, and Dr Juliet Gilbert, Associate Professor in African Studies & Anthropology at the University of Birmingham. The workshop is part of the Beyond the Fattening Room project and its current Embodied Care display.

This talk and workshop form part of Healing Arts Birmingham (HABrum), a week-long festival co-led by Birmingham City Council and the Jameel Arts & Health Lab. The festival contributes to the Jameel Arts & Health Lab’s global Healing Arts campaign, delivered in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO).