Thanks to funding from Coventry City Council we delivered 8 arts and crafts workshops with artist Daya Bhatti and the Navrang South Asian elders group in Foleshill, Coventry in the summer/autumn 2026.
The group worked with Daya each week on different techniques including decorating sunglasses, print-making and collage. They also brought in objects that reminded them of their past and told stories about their childhood and past times in Foleshill.
All the work was brought together by Daya in to an exhibition which is being displayed at Foleshill and Central Coventry libraries.
Exhibition information
Drawing on memories of younger years, migration and the objects that have travelled with these women and their families, the project explores how jewellery, fabrics, clothing and other meaningful belongings can carry stories of identity, femininity, belonging and home.
As women grow older, particularly within South Asian communities, there can be expectations around how they should look, behave and present themselves.
Ageing can come with assumptions that women should become quieter or less expressive, and that the colour, glamour and adornment associated with their younger years are things they should leave behind.
This project challenges those stereotypes by recognising that these aspects of identity do not simply disappear with age.
The group have been creating colourful pieces from decorated sunglasses to bright bangles and printing on materials, each piece reflecting their own creativity, ideas and personality. 😎💎
The group’s finished work is being exhibited from Tuesday 22nd September to Sunday 18th October.
