Backlit Gallery

04/09/2026

In 1956, Nottingham activist Laurent Phillpotts produced The Colonial News, a Black weekly newspaper — two years before Claudia Jones founded the West Indian Gazette in London.

It's one of many stories preserved by Nottingham Black Archive, founded by poet and BACKLIT studio holder Panya Banjoko.

For our latest Substack, Panya talks about the histories that have changed how she sees Nottingham, the relationship between poetry and archiving, and why it matters who gets to preserve and tell a city's history.

Following 86:26, which brought BFI Replay and the Nottingham Q***r History Archive into our galleries, we're interested in how BACKLIT can be a space where local archives are encountered by the public.

If you look after a community archive, heritage collection or local history project, our gallery spaces are available to hire to bring those stories into public view.

Read the full conversation with Panya on our Substack:

https://backlitgallery.substack.com/p/nottingham-black-archive-poet-panya

02/09/2026

In 2012, while building the archive around Alfred House and Morley, BACKLIT co-founder Matthew Chesney bought a pair of gold/orange Y-fronts.

Something about their colour, their advertising and the slogan “INTERNATIONAL MAN” struck him as potentially q***r-coded.

Twelve years later, researcher CJ de Barra came across the same object in the archive — and independently saw something similar.

Our latest From the Archive follows one object through two BACKLIT exhibitions, twelve years apart.

Read the full story on our Substack and subscribe for more in-depth stories from BACKLIT Gallery.

How a pair of Morley Y-fronts found their way into two BACKLIT exhibitions, twelve years apart

02/09/2026

Thank you to everyone who told us what you want to see next at BACKLIT through our survey.

Almost half of the people who have responded to our 86:26 audience survey so far had never been to BACKLIT before.

And when we asked what you'd like to see in future, you told us:

🏳️‍🌈 “Alllll the q***r history!”

💬 More community-led projects

📚 More Nottingham-specific q***r history

✂️ Zine workshops, talks and creative events

🎭 More exhibitions, performance and opportunities to respond creatively

💅 Drag queens

If you came to 86:26: LGBTQ+ Film, Heritage and Archive, what would you like to see next?

Our Arts Council England audience survey is still open. You can tell us about your experience, suggest the kinds of events you'd like us to put on, and help us understand who we're reaching and who we might be missing.

Answer as much or as little as you like.

Take the survey here: https://www.illuminate-data.org.uk/survey/ghjzkb

01/09/2026

What happens when an archive becomes a starting point?

This September, Tessa Boffin: Where We Touch the Archive arrives at BACKLIT.

Preview Event

📍BACKLIT, Main Gallery (Second Floor)
📅 Friday 18 September 2026
🕕 18:00–20:00
🎟️ RSVP via Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/exhibition-preview-for-tessa-boffin-where-we-touch-the-archive-tickets-1999111214457

Centred on the work and legacy of artist and activist Tessa Boffin (1960–1993), the national touring exhibition brings Boffin’s photography and archival material into dialogue with newly commissioned work by Sophie Mak-Schram and Leah McLaine.

Working across photography, writing, performance and activism, Boffin challenged dominant ideas of gender, sexuality and visibility. The exhibition asks what can be reinterpreted and activated in the present.

The exhibition is accompanied by THE DRAFT, a growing publication assembled across the tour through contributions from q***r artists, writers, researchers and activists.

Co-curated by Polly Wright, Jazz Swali, Ricardo Reverón Blanco and Danit Ariel.

Co-commissioned by Devonshire Collective, Aspex Portsmouth, BACKLIT and Photoworks. Supported by the Jenni Crain Foundation, The National Archives, the Paul Mellon Foundation and Arts Council England.

Exhibition continues

19 September–17 October 2026
Thursday–Saturday, 12–4pm
Free entry

28/08/2026

The response to 86:26 has been extraordinary. Not just in the number of people who have come through the doors, but in the memories, connections, conversations, and generosity that visitors brought with them.

Across the exhibition and screenings, we’ve seen people reconnect with Nottingham’s q***r history and share their own experiences.

We’ve been especially glad to welcome people whose lives and work form part of these histories, including Richard McCance, Nottingham’s first openly gay councillor and a longstanding campaigner for LGBTQ+ rights in the city.

86:26 has also given us the opportunity to develop our work with CJ De Barra (pictured) and the Nottingham Q***r History Archive, bringing their research and knowledge into conversation with material from the BFI and BACKLIT’s own Alfred House archive.

One of those connections reaches back to The House of the Flying Wheel, an exhibition held at BACKLIT in 2014. More than a decade later, an object from that exhibition has resurfaced in 86:26 with a different story around it.

You can read about it in our latest Substack post: https://backlitgallery.substack.com/p/from-the-archive-the-house-of-the

A huge thank you to the BFI for their support and generosity, to CJ De Barra and Jazz Singh Swali for co-curating 86:26, to Sinead Beverland, and to the wider team and everyone who has contributed their knowledge, work and time to the project.

And we’re looking forward to what comes next.

As we begin work towards opening BACKLIT’s new ground-floor space, we’ll be continuing to develop the archive and creating new opportunities to engage with the histories held here. We’ll be sharing more as those plans develop.

86:26: LGBTQ+ Film, Heritage and Archive is open for its final weekend:

Friday 28–Sunday 30 August
12–4pm

Free, no booking required.

Supported by the BFI Screen Heritage Fund, awarding National Lottery Good Cause funding.

Image credits: Joshua Jones

26/08/2026

On Monday night, decades of Nottingham’s q***r history shared the same room for the preview of 86:26: LGBTQ+ Film, Heritage and Archive.

The exhibition brings together photographs, films, zines and objects carrying stories of q***r life in Nottingham. And, most importantly, it brought together you and your stories, too.

Co-curated by CJ De Barra of Nottingham Q***r History Archive and Jazz Singh Swali, 86:26 brings together material held in very different places: grassroots q***r archives, film archives and BACKLIT’s own collection at Alfred House.

Thank you to everyone who came to explore it with us. 🏳️‍🌈

The exhibition continues until 30 August:
Tuesday–Sunday, 12–4pm
Free, no booking required.

And there’s still time to join us tonight (Wednesday 26 August), 6–8pm, for a screening of A Boy Called Mary from Channel 4’s Six of Hearts (1986), followed by Simon Smalley, Mike Yeomans and Mike Atkinson sharing memories of Nottingham’s legendary Part Two nightclub and the city’s q***r history.

Free — RSVP on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/2401028366

86:26 is supported by the BFI Screen Heritage Fund, awarding National Lottery Good Cause funding.

24/08/2026

TONIGHT at BACKLIT

Join us from 6–8pm for the opening of 86:26: LGBTQ+ Film, Heritage and Archive, co-curated by CJ De Barra and Jazz Singh Swali.

Bringing together q***r film, photography and archival material, 86:26 traces connections between Nottingham’s q***r nightlife, activism, screen history and local industry — from Divine performing at Part Two nightclub in the 1980s to objects discovered in BACKLIT’s own Alfred House archive.

BACKLIT Gallery, NG3 1GJ
Main Gallery (Second Floor)
Monday 24 August, 6–8pm
RSVP via Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/backlit-gallery-2401028366
Free

Can’t make tonight? The exhibition continues 25–30 August, 12–4pm, with special film screenings and conversations on Tuesday (25 August) and Wednesday (26 August).

Supported by the BFI Screen Heritage Fund, awarding National Lottery Good Cause funding.

Image by Fin Serck-Hanssen/ Bono

20/08/2026

Did you come to Our Marian?

So far, everyone who has responded to our audience survey has told us that Our Marian made them feel proud of their local area. ❤️

You've also been telling us what you'd like to see from BACKLIT in future — and now we'd like to hear from more of you.

If you visited Our Marian or took part in the workshops, take a few minutes to have your say. Your responses help us understand who we're reaching, who we might be missing, and what you'd like to see from us next.

It also contributes to Arts Council England's wider picture of who engages with publicly funded arts and culture across England.

It's up to you what you answer — you can skip any questions you'd rather not.

Take the survey here: https://www.illuminate-data.org.uk/survey/xnrwnr

18/08/2026

What could you do with a gallery space?

Artist and BACKLIT studio member Neelum Aftab recently transformed our Lower-Level Gallery for Mystic Expressions – A Celebration of Sufi Art.

The exhibition showcased work created through Neelum's community art workshops. Participants saw their work exhibited publicly, with live Sufi music and food on the opening night.

We spoke to Neelum about bringing a community arts project into a gallery, and what the experience meant to the people involved.

It’s also one example of what our spaces can be used for. If you’re planning an exhibition, workshop, event or gathering of your own, BACKLIT has spaces available to hire.

Read Neelum’s story and find out more:
https://backlitgallery.substack.com/p/artist-neelum-aftab-on-hosting-a

12/08/2026

Are you a neurodivergent artist or creative in the Midlands? BACKLIT Gallery and DASH are launching something for you 👀

The Neurodivergent Artist Network (NAN) is a new programme where you can meet other neurodivergent artists, hear from established practitioners and talk openly about making work and navigating the visual arts sector.

NAN takes place primarily online with an opportunity to meet in person at BACKLIT Gallery for the final session.

You’ll have opportunities to get feedback on your work and ideas, ask questions about approaching galleries, and share experiences with people who may be navigating some of the same things.

To help you find out more before committing, we’re launching a free taster session on Zoom:

Thursday 3 September
7.30–8.30pm
Online via Zoom
Free

With support from The Renewal Trust, we’re particularly keen to welcome artists and creatives from St Ann’s and Sneinton, but NAN is open to neurodivergent artists and creatives from across the Midlands.

Book your free place here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/neurodivergent-artist-network-taster-session-and-introduction-to-the-progr-tickets-1997692358621