The Disability Arts Movement and hidden histories explored in newly launched exhibitions
On the evening of Thursday 13 February, Attenborough Arts Centre launched ‘Crip Arte Spazio: The Disability Arts Movement in Venice’ in Gallery 1 and celebrated the Gallery 2 Exhibition ‘Who Were They? Who Am I?’ by Sabrina Tirvengadum. The event drew in over 150 visitors who were the first to see the two exhibitions together across both galleries.
Shape Arts has brought its landmark ‘Crip Arte Spazio: The Disability Arts Movement in Venice’ exhibition to Leicester, fresh from its presentation at the world-renowned Venice Biennale 2024.
The Disability Arts Movement [DAM] aligned art with the fight for rights, broke barriers, and ultimately affected changes in UK law, while making great art about doing so. Previously on show at the 60th Venice Biennale, the exhibition is a joyous and exuberant celebration of the Disability Arts Movement, showcasing its dynamism, wit, and grandeur.
The title Crip Arte Spazio, translated as Crip Art Space, plays on Italian words while reclaiming slurs disabled people have historically and continue to face. We fully support the curators, artists and disabled people in the reclamation of these words
The exhibition’s presentation at the Venice Biennale 2024 was the first time that a major exhibition about the UK’s Disability Arts Movement had been presented internationally. Attenborough Arts Centre is proud to be the first UK touring venue for this historically important show.
In ‘Who Were They? Who Am I?’ artist Sabrina Tirvengadum takes a personal journey into identity, ancestry and the hidden histories that shape who we are. Inspired by their father’s life and family stories passed down through generations, this exhibition connects personal narratives with the larger history of Indian indentured labour in Mauritius. At its heart, it asks a universal question: How much of who we are comes from who they were?
Using archival photographs, AI-generated imagery, digital art and film. Sabrina blends personal and collective memories to reimagine moments that were lost, hidden or never existed. This approach shows the nature of how memory works, mixing truth, interpretation and imagination.
A key part of this journey is the artist’s DNA link to the Marrier d’Unienville family: wealthy plantation owners who employed their great-grandmother as a maid. This discovery led to a deep exploration of privilege, labour, and lineage, which are central to the artwork “If We Were Marrier d’Unienville.” Through imagining alternative histories, this work invites us to think about the complex connections between ancestry, power and resilience.
Who Were They? Who Am I? is more than a question. It invites us to explore how history, family, and storytelling shape identity. By reimagining the stories of the past, Sabrina honours those who came before and asks us to reflect on our own connections to history and heritage.
‘Crip Arte Spazio: The Disability Arts Movement in Venice’ will be exhibited in Gallery 1 at Attenborough Arts Centre from 14 February – 11 May 2025, alongside Sabrina Tirvengadum’s ‘Who Were They? Who Am I?’ in Gallery 2 from 7 February – 6 April 2025. Learn more about our upcoming exhibitions by visiting our webpage.