An Arts Council Collection National Partners Programme exhibition

What does ‘home’ mean to you? 

House Share reveals the thoughts and experiences of young people in Essex during the three UK lockdowns, and their changing relationship to the home. 

Curated by Firstsite’s Young Art Kommunity (YAK) group, working in partnership with Firstsite and Arts Council Collection (ACC), with whom Firstsite is a National Partner 2019-22, the exhibition is a multi-sensory and interactive space designed to evoke a sense of each member’s home.

I hope that visitors feel comfortable and welcome within the exhibition space, and are inspired to reflect upon the role of their ‘homes’ and the connections these provide, in their lives then and now,” says YAK member, Freya Gascoyne, age 18 (@frey.art_ on instagram).

Many artworks in the show are from the Arts Council Collection, the most widely circulated national loan collection of modern and contemporary British art in the world, with the members of YAK selecting pieces by artists including Janice Kerbel, Jesse Darling, Tracy Mackenna, Matthew Dalziel & Louise Scullion and Jean-Luc Vilmouth, complete with interventions led by sound artist Frazer Merrick, poet Laila Sumpton, and artists Rita Castanheira and Emily Mulenga

House Share is also the first in a series of exhibitions curated by young people across the three ACC National Partner sites. Newlyn Art Gallery & The Exchange will follow with their exhibition, SEEN, in October 2021, with Sunderland hosting their exhibition curated by Young Curators, Celebrate Different, in early 2022. The exhibitions aim to bring young people together from across the country, connecting them with each other and with the Arts Council Collection.

Explore this exhibition in depth

Head over to our Online Studio to discover more content related to this exhibition, including an ambient sound piece made from sounds around the home, a collaborative film piece made with artists Emily Mulenga and Rita Castenheira, and letters written by visitors.

Visit the Online Studio

Enter the Virtual Exhibition

‘House Share’ is available to view as a 3D walkthrough using the player below. This virtual experience enables you to explore the physical exhibition as if you were there, at any time, remotely on a digital device.