Presented in collaboration with the Oriental Museum, Durham University, this new exhibition at Leighton House showcases emerging creative voices from the MENA region exploring heritage, memory and identity through assemblage and collage.

In 2020 the Oriental Museum, Durham University embarked on a project to form a new collection of digitally-born and digitally manipulated artworks by artists from the Middle East and North Africa diaspora. The project resulted in the acquisition of around 60 works which reflect the modern world and the evolving cultures of these regions. The View from Here brings together highlights from this new collection.

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) encompasses a diverse array of cultures and landscapes – likewise the artworks in this exhibition have no single viewpoint or style. What they share though, is a concern with identity and tradition and how to reflect on and communicate that in our current times.

This exhibition is part of the celebratory programme of 100 Years of Leighton House, which marks the museum’s anniversary as a public museum, under the governance of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.