2026 exhibition programme

For more than 35 years, Autograph has been championing photography that explores race, representation, human rights and social justice—deepening understanding of ourselves and others. 

As we continue to witness seismic political shifts globally—from the persecution of migrant communities to the control of women’s bodies and the enduring effects of conflict—Autograph’s 2026 exhibition programme examines how ideas of language, the body and identity are continually shaped by social realities. Across the year, four free exhibitions at the charity’s Shoreditch gallery will interrogate how these themes shape our understanding of an ever-changing cultural and political landscape. 

Group and solo exhibitions will feature works by artists Laura Aguilar, Arpita Akhanda, Brook Andrew, Jess Atieno, Wendimagegn Belete, Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons, Sim Chi Yin, Sunil Gupta, Nhu Xuan Hua, Kudzanai-Violet Hwami, Koyoltzintli, Reena Saini Kallat, Tarrah Krajnak, Henna Nadeem, Charan Singh, Sheida Soleimani, Sabrina Tirvengadum, Thato Toeba, and Qualeasha Wood.

Centering photography, Autograph’s 2026 exhibition programme aims to highlight the power of image-making as a vital tool for witnessing and responding to the world around us. 

Mark Sealy, Director of Autograph, said: “Autograph has a long-standing mission to share the work of artists confronting urgent questions of rights, race, representation and social justice. Our 2026 programme continues this commitment, presenting exhibitions that invite critical dialogue—we proudly remain a venue that is completely free of charge, ensuring this important work can be seen by everyone.”

Bindi Vora, Senior Curator at Autograph, said: “This year our programme continues to emphasise the radical power of photography as a vital tool for both witnessing and responding to the world around us. Across the artists’ practices, experiences of Indigenous cultures, ancestry and the politics that connect these ideas are made visible—asserting image-making as a critical site of resistance, reflection and reimagining.” 

On now
I Still Dream of Lost Vocabularies
Until March 21, 2026
Curated by Bindi Vora

This major group exhibition examines how photographs can be deconstructed and reassembled through the idea of collage, offering new perspectives on complex histories and contested social realities. From cut paper to generative AI, more than 90 works by 13 contemporary artists use collage as both method and metaphor, highlighting the fragility of photographic “truth” and the archives that hold it. Read more and book tickets

Artists include: Arpita Akhanda, Brook Andrew, Jess Atieno, Wendimagegn Belete, Sim Chi Yin, Sunil Gupta, Kudzanai-Violet Hwami, Reena Saini Kallat, Henna Nadeem, Sheida Soleimani, Sabrina Tirvengadum, Thato Toeba, and Qualeasha Wood.

Spring 2026
Nhu Xuan Hua: Of walking on fire
April 16–September 19, 2026
Curated by Bindi Vora

Working at the intersection of art and fashion photography, French Vietnamese artist Nhu Xuan Hua reflects on the themes of memory and the ways stories are communicated—or withheld—across generations. Autograph will present the first UK solo exhibition of the artist, featuring newly commissioned work presented for the first time. 

Hua reimagines archival photographs from her family’s time in Vietnam and their early years in Europe, to create dreamlike digitally-altered compositions that shift between recognition and distortion. Across her work, Hua builds elaborate visual reconstructions that echo how memory in the diaspora can splinter, blur and slip from view.  Read more and prebook tickets.

Autumn 2026 
Our Bodies Have Been Bridges
October 8, 2026–February 13, 2027
Curated by Mark Sealy and Bindi Vora

How can the body act as both testimony and witness? Our Bodies Have Been Bridges  will feature the work of Laura Aguilar, Tarrah Krajnak, Koyoltzintli and Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons. The artists offer multiple perspectives on indigenous, diasporic feminist practices—affirming both the body and memory as active, generative forces. Rooted in matrilineal lineages and gendered politics, their practices are inseparable from political and cultural realities. Read more

Charan Singh: Your Tongue in My Mouth
October 8, 2026–13 February 13, 2027
Curated by Bindi Vora

Charan Singh’s practice is informed by more than two decades of HIV/AIDS advocacy in India and community activism. His work seeks to reclaim subaltern queer identities—including Hijra communities (long-established South Asian trans and gender-diverse groups), and Kothi communities (feminised queer and trans feminine identities)—who have historically been placed outside dominant social structures.

Sitting at the intersection of gender, desire and the intertwined histories of Britain and India, Your Tongue in My Mouth will examine how queer narratives have been obscured, omitted and reshaped by colonial legacies in both countries—particularly through the politics of language. This solo exhibition will feature newly commissioned work presented for the first time in Gallery 2. Read more