In 2019, I opened an art gallery and social platform in Peterborough in my dad's old video shop and curated my first exhibition.

That year, 62 Gladstone Street was re-fashioned from an old Bollywood video shop – which had belonged to my father in the 1980s – into a pop-up public engagement art space, independent gallery, and research centre.

The gallery launched on 13th April 2019 with an exhibition by Zain Haider Awan and Kazim Rashid, alongside a live performance by poet Zia Ahmed. We exhibited work and created new opportunities for resident artists, hosted talks, exhibitions, and workshops that addressed the palpable lack of representation for British Muslims in the UK.

This new setting created a ground-breaking platform to discuss contemporary issues affecting the local community – a mix of predominantly Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Indian, and new wave immigrants from Eastern Europe and Portugal, as well as refugees and young people from the Middle East.

A woman with dark, curly hair and light skin standing indoors in front of a white wall. Behind her, there is a framed portrait of a man in a suit and tie, and a poster with text about a community arts space.

62 Gladstone St.
Opening Exhibition 2019

Bridging Landscapes

In 2022, I curated Bridging Landscapes at French Riviera Gallery in Bethnal Green, London, running from 20 July – 7 August 2022. 

The exhibition featured artists Mohammed Adel, Miriam Ali, Sarah Ali, Haroun Hayward, Sofia Karim, Kalpesh Lathigra, Imran Perretta, Hussina Raja, Kazim Rashid, Amba Sayal-Bennett, and Anusheh Zia.

Bridging Landscapes is about our shifting cultural identities, shaped by our geographic locations, looking at the borders we carry within us. Who we are and how we fit in, what we remember to be true to ourselves and how we are shaped by our past, helps us accept connectedness to the present and re-imagine a positive future. I am here now. And that is all. – This is a selection of work that shows us how we can heal and make sense of the world we live in now, and finally, to acknowledge our place in it, so we can move forward together, without division.

There was a full programme of wrap events at Rich Mix in London.

storefront with a green sign that reads 'french RIVERA 1988' in purple neon, with a window display of various black and white books or magazines, and advertising or informational text on the right side of the entrance.
Person with long curly dark hair, wearing a denim jacket with orange text on the back, standing in front of a screen with a heart-shaped object.

Bridging Landscapes II

Following on from this, I curated Bridging Landscapes II, a group exhibition presented and co-commissioned as part of the Platforma Festival (October 2025) produced by Counterpoints Arts. Following its successful run at French Riviera Gallery in London and the Rich Mix in Bethnal Green, Bridging Landscapes II came to Peterborough Museum & Art Gallery.

This powerful group exhibition featured South Asian and MENA artists from across the UK, including Zaineb Abelque, Sarah Ali, Mohammed Adel, Aya Haidar, Haroun Hayward, Sofia Karim, Rehan Jamil, Kalpesh Lathigra, Amak Mahmoodian, Mohammed Tariq, and Anusheh Zia.

The exhibition explored the emotional and cultural impact of migration – whether through lived or inherited experience – and the deep, diasporic threads that shape memory, identity, and belonging.

A book accompanying the exhibition, Carry the Shadows Home, is available now, published by 62 Gladstone Street and Pendle Press.

62 Gladstone Street's Platforma programme was supported by Arts Council England and presented as part of the wider Platforma Festival across the East of England, produced by Counterpoints Arts.

Partners: Counterpoints Arts, Landmark Theatres, Peterborough Cultural Alliance, Metal Peterborough, Peterborough Presents, Peterborough Museum, HELP Charity & the Aziz Foundation

Dedication: "Our programme is dedicated to the innocent men, women, and children who have lost their lives, those who have been displaced by war, and all those seeking a safe place to call home."

Three women standing together, smiling, with photos on the wall behind them. The woman on the left wears glasses and a denim jacket, the woman in the middle wears a pink shirt with the word 'IMMIGRANT' on it, and the woman on the right wears a red dr
A collage of multiple photographs depicting various scenes and people, each overlaid with a red cross symbol.
Multiple folded flyers or posters laid out on a wooden floor, with some text and black and white images visible on them.
A man with dark skin, glasses, and a full beard wearing traditional white Middle Eastern attire standing outdoors on a dirt ground, with a black background and a white wall behind him.
A black-and-white photograph of a young man with medium-length hair, looking directly at the camera with a serious expression, set against a background of trees.
Artwork depicting an orange lifebuoy with white accents and black details, mounted on a black background.
A collage of several photographs featuring diverse people engaged in various activities such as cooking, sitting, holding plants, and reading, against a plain background.
Close-up of a person pointing at pages in an open book with photographs and text, on a wooden table.
A framed abstract artwork featuring a mirrored design of large semi-circular reddish-brown shapes, colorful dotted lines, and various smaller, vibrant abstract paintings below.
Close-up of an orange safety device with blue text warning that it will not protect against drowning, and indicates it should be used only under supervision.
Two framed black-and-white photographs hanging on a white wall. The left photo depicts two children, one with dark hair and one with light hair, playing among trees in a forest. The right photo shows a woman in a long white dress standing inside a ro
Person holding a book titled 'Carry the Shadow Home' with colorful border, in a room with hardwood flooring and white walls.
A woman wearing a white shirt with the word 'IMMIGRANT' and a man wearing a beige cap and black jacket smiling and standing close together in an indoor event space with other people in the background.
An older man wearing glasses, a dark cap, and a black jacket is looking at his phone in an art gallery. Behind him, a woman with long brown hair, a red top, and blue jeans is standing with her arms crossed, observing artwork. Several framed pieces ar
An elderly woman with gray hair, wearing a colorful knitted hat and blue jacket, kneels on the floor, looking with concern or sorrow at paper bags arranged in a row, while a person in a plaid shirt and jeans stands nearby.
Photograph of a mural depicting a highway overpass, trees, and a blue sky, framed in white.
An art gallery with white walls displaying various paintings and photographs, wooden floor, and a small floor tapestry in the center surrounded by four stanchions.
A white wall with five small colorful abstract paintings, and a wooden floor with a patterned rug featuring natural elements like leaves and flowers.
A wall display with six rectangular abstract paintings arranged in two rows of three, featuring various shades of pink, yellow, blue, and purple with swirling and gradient patterns.

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