Drawn to the Boro
Ten large-scale portraits of Middlesbrough residents nominated by their community. Supported by Borderlands, part of the Arts Council's Creative People and Places programme. Exhibiting in Middlesbrough, 2027.
Middlesbrough was built on migration. Founded in 1830 and grown rapidly through industrial expansion, the town drew workers from across the UK and from much further afield. Migration is woven into its identity, and into mine. Like many, my family left Middlesbrough for work in the 1970s and 80s, and as a child I lived in Africa and Canada. If you look far enough back, most families hold stories of movement in one direction or another; in a town like Middlesbrough, those journeys are everywhere.
The project invited communities to nominate people they wanted to see recognised: those who give generously to others and who steady and strengthen the lives around them. The ten people I have worked with span generations, backgrounds and experiences. Some came to Middlesbrough from far away; all have a story of movement.
Every portrait begins in conversation. I ask each sitter to bring an object that matters to them, because it is usually there, in something a person loves, that they begin to talk freely. These conversations are central to how each painting takes shape - and we have recorded them, so that the edited audio becomes part of the work: a way for each sitter to be heard directly, in their own voice, alongside the portrait.
Imran Anwar
Zainab Aboharoon
Judith Bell
Videography: Laura Degnan
With thanks to Borderlands An Arts Council England CPP organisation
Each painting measures roughly two metres by one, the scale of a public painting rather than a private one. Pattern enters the work as a way of storytelling: embroidery, ornament and symbolism drawn from across cultures and centuries, chosen to speak to each sitter's history and something of their inner life.
The images below are details from the paintings in progress.
"portraiture is a rare medium for that kind of attention"
Part of what we are losing in society is the simple practice of sitting down and listening to someone. Portraiture is a rare medium for that kind of attention. It asks both the painter and the viewer to slow down and look carefully. My hope is that each painting offers to whoever stands before it: not a stranger to be observed, but a person to be greeted.
The sittings are now complete, and the paintings continue to develop in the studio.
I am grateful to every sitter for the openness, time, and trust they have given to the project.
Drawn to the Boro is supported by Borderlands, part of the Arts Council's Creative People and Places programme for Middlesbrough and Redcar & Cleveland. The portraits will be exhibited in Middlesbrough in 2027. To follow the project as it develops, please subscribe to the newsletter below.
COMMISSIONS
Portraits made with narrative pattern
Private commissions for those marking a special moment — a parent, a child, a celebration of family life — with pattern and decorative detail drawn from each sitter's own story.
THE PATTERN CHRONICLES
where patterns travel and tell stories
A monthly essay tracing how decorative motifs move across cultures and centuries — with studio notes and glimpses of work in progress alongside.
NEW WORK
Something new in the studio
A new series of paintings exploring the patterns girls inherit.
