Are there things we still don't understand? I want to look at this question in a simple way, avoiding complicated explanations. I will concentrate on showing how I think. I imagine this question as an abstract landscape reflecting complex concepts. However, if we simplify it too much, we can distort reality, create misunderstandings and break our relationship with the world. So let's leave on the surface the perspective of the existence of phenomena that we do not yet understand and that go beyond our current theories. Acceptance is an ongoing process that shapes our sensibilities and helps us to understand the world better. Such an approach can lead us to a deeper reflection on reality and our place in it, and to accept that knowledge of the world is constantly evolving. We often cross the boundaries of the traditional understanding of everyday life, which invites us to actively participate, the process of creating reflections and experimenting with forms of sensitivity. This approach addresses the complexity of the world and what it really means to “see". I understand that this is difficult to convey in verbal language. However, such difficulties reveal the most fascinating aspects of language, because it stimulates the imagination and invites dialogue.  In my work I use composite photography, a fascinating but often forgotten technique in the history of photography. It consists of creating images from many layers, which can become a starting point for discussions about identity, questioning its uniqueness and showing its fluidity. I am not surprised that this technique is controversial because its creator, Francis Galton, used it for eugenic practice, the study of social groups. His work was part of a wider trend in 19th century scientific thought. He was looking for the biological basis of racial differences. I find this approach invasive and unethical because it dehumanizes people, reducing them to a set of physical characteristics. As an artist, I am aware of the responsibility that comes with using this method of representation. Therefore, I try to look at this technique from a different perspective. By deconstructing the image and creating new forms, composite photography becomes a tool for critical analysis of the reality that surrounds us. It allows us to discover new layers of meaning and to transcend the boundaries of traditional representation. To argue against the myth of the modern imagination, let's consider whether the only thing that is real is what we can see with the naked eye, or perhaps our beliefs, our stereotypes, are also real? Reality is dynamic, and reality is not uniform. It is constantly changing depending on how we interpret it and which of its elements we interact with. This is why each person's world, although based on the same material reality, appears slightly different in their minds. Imagination is subjective, but the fact is that images, sounds, smells and other sensations associated with what we imagine appear in our minds. This process allows us to look deep into the world and create a space in which we can see our own process. It knows no boundaries. Let's appreciate its diversity because it is the power that allows us to bring something unique to the world. As a result, imagination transcends the limitations of time and space. Often I feel that there are too many thoughts and it's difficult to keep track of them all, especially when I start to write and develop a complex concept related to the theme of loss. My thinking is an attempt to go beyond the beaten path, to recall other ways of knowing and to invite a diversity of experience. Such an expansion of boundaries has inspired me to experiment with multilayeredness. Through visual experimentation, I do not seek to imitate the external world, but rather to facilitate a deeper connection with it. My artistic practice, like a reflection on loss, is an attempt to go beyond the known and enter a realm where forms and figurations lose their meaning. Giving up realistic images is an act of accepting that we do not have to understand everything. Similarly, reflecting on lack creates a space where experience becomes fluid and subjective. The viewer is no longer an observer but an active participant in the creative process  It's not a matter of understanding it completely, but of opening oneself up to a process of constant discovery. Any attempt to blur the representation can provoke the emergence of new forms of understanding, that which is elusive and indescribable, that which goes beyond words, leading to new reflections. Thanks to our ability to create meaning, composite images gain cognitive depth, revealing to us what is unconscious. Such images become a starting point for conversations about identity, which is an important aspect of existence. The process of identity development evolves with the changing context of life, changing the way we perceive the world, others and ourselves.  Breaking away from the illusion of the form of reality is inevitable. The art I create unmasks it. To show that all forms in photography are a construction and not a faithful reflection of the world. In my artistic practice, I am constantly searching for the element of wildness of form that reveals aspects of the relationship between human and reality. The world lives in a kind of detachment from reality.

ArtBomb Futures Forum.

Love Music Hate Racism Love Music Hate Racism event actually took place at The Leopard.

Viewable 24 hours a day until the 4th of July A controversial new estate agent has opened in South Yorkshire that appears to be offering properties for sale and rent in the West Bank and Gaza.  video capture courtesy Jon Robson On a Doncaster street already dominated by estate agent branches, Apartheid Apartments doesn’t immediately stand out as anything unusual. But on taking a closer look, potential customers will find half the shop dominated by barbed wire and CCTV cameras, with listings advertising a “striking, fully obliterated property” for Palestinians, or a “rare opportunity to participate in a crime against humanity” in an illegal settlement for Israeli citizens.  But the “estate agent” is in fact an art installation by artist Darren Cullen, (42, from Leeds) who goes under the name Spelling Mistakes Cost Lives . He says the exhibition is an attempt to draw attention to what he calls “Israel’s long-term policy of ethnic cleansing,” which has had material and diplomatic support from successive UK governments, “Israel’s genocide in Gaza is beyond horrifying,” he says, “but its important to place it in the context of an ongoing attempt by Israel to wipe Palestinians off the map. I put all these horrific crimes into the mundane form of an estate agent to try and show the banality of evil at work, how things as dull as planning permission and property rights are all part of an attempt to systematically eradicate an entire people.”  Cullen has previously worked with Banksy when another of his shop-based installations, Pocket Money Loans , was featured at Dismaland in 2015. But while Pocket Money Loans took aim at pay day loans and child-targeted advertising, this new work aims to show the injustice of Israel’s continued occupation and annexation of Palestinian land in the West Bank and Gaza.  At the rear of the shop, on the Palestinian side, the wall has been dramatically broken through by a JCB digger arm, a reference to the arbitrary demolitions that Israeli military authorities regularly carry out against Palestinian homes in the West Bank. Architectural models show some of the property options for buyers, with a newly built Israeli apartment complex built on a foundation of human skulls, and a Palestinian tent pitched in a bomb crater, with yet another bomb just about to fall on it.  On the Israeli side a replica assault rifle is advertised as “free with every new home”, based on the AR-15 rifles that Israeli government ministers handed out to illegal settlers, and a Trustpilot sticker on the wall rates the business as zero stars and “genocidal” according to the UN. On the outside of the shop, a break in the barbed wire is replaced with anti-bird spikes above the Israeli side, which has violently impaled a white dove of peace. darren@spellingmistakescostlives.com

Ellis David Knitwear Creating Calm is an ongoing project that showcases how knitting, in its most traditional form of patchwork squares, can help people escape the stress of everyday life.

Ben Rowen On Friday 15th & Saturday 16th August 2025, Ben Rowen will make his postgraduate artistic debut at ArtBomb’25, re-presenting his final degree performance, Wind Whisper . Wind Whisper  is a participatory, improvisational performance which loops different instruments together to captivate the audience into a sonic ritual of escapism, calmness and human-nature kinship. Adorned in headdress and costume inspired by pagan folklore, Ben invites audiences to “ whisper a word" into the microphone, looping their vocal contribution into the composition. During this ritualistic process of becoming Ben’s co-composers, the audience is held in an enchanted, relaxed state. Tune out of the chaos of inner city life and into the calming rhythms of the drums, flutes, strings and chimes of a mythical past and a possible future.

Inari Wishiki I Walked Here  is a concept for a new kind of informal eco-certificate that celebrates walking as a legitimate and superior form of sustainable transportation. Inspired by the ubiquitous “100% Electric/0 Emissions” labels on electric vehicles, this initiative reclaims environmental pride for those who choose to move on foot. Despite the growing urgency of climate crises, our culture still tends to equate speed and convenience with status—even in the green tech sector. I Walked Here  challenges that mindset by offering a fresh, human-centered alternative: a way for people to feel equally, if not more, proud of walking instead of driving.

Futures Past and Present is a mural by Hayley Garner (Aylo) and Jay Gilleard (Cbloxx) who form the Nomad Clan. It has b een supported by the Art of Protest Gallery and assisted by Natasha Clark and Street Art Atlas. The mural can be found opposite the train station on Trafford Way along the side of the Frenchgate centre. T he mural in Doncaster contains lots of references to the town. The name ‘Futures Past and Present’ also reflects this sense of history whilst also using it as a launch pad to see the future. “Our intention with this mural was to celebrate Doncaster’s remarkable historic past in industry whilst manifesting a future of creativity and diversity” says the Nomad Clan’s  Cbloxx . ​Both artists are proudly northern. Indeed their murals can be found across the north of England. “Many a Northern town contributed to the shape of the world as we know it” says Cbloxx. “Be it through coal, steel, steam, canals. These industries that were once a sturdy backbone to Britain are not crumbling columns of eras gone by”. ​ Mining History Much of Doncaster's development lays particularly within its coal mining past. Cbloxx’s own Grandfather was a miner. Working at the nearby Bentley Colliery, the Futures Past and Present mural pays a particular homage to him and his beloved pit pony ‘Winter’. Travelling down to work each day he would descend 1750ft into the pitch darkness of the pit. The pit ponies would spend their lives down there. Hauling coal in tubs from the coal face to the haulage road and then back again. It’s a relationship which is now immortalised on the giant wall. Windrush Other imagery Futures Past and Present pays tribute to is the Windrush Generation. A Caribbean nurse features prominently. A nod to the important role this generation played in building the NHS and supporting the development of the region after the Second World War. Between the miner and the nurse, galloping horses reference Doncaster’s equestrian history. The towns racecourse is of course one of the most famous in the UK. Flying Scotsman Representing the rail industry on the mural is the Flying Scotsman. Perhaps one of the most famous steam trains of all time it was built at the Doncaster Works in 1923. The train with it’s number 4472 became the standard bearer in terms of what modern day locomotion looked like at the time. Running mainly along the east coast line from London to Edinburgh it become a famous sight. Even now, albeit much restored it is still running and is part of the National Railway Museum in York. Doncaster’s history with rail was a key factor in the areas growth and in the powering of the industrial revolution. ​ ​Read more:  https://inspiringcity.com/2021/11/03/futures-past-and-present-mural-in-doncaster/

Art of Protest (AOP) Projects , in partnership with Doncaster Creates , Doncaster Council and with support from the Arts Council and external grant funding, is excited to announce the reimagination of Baxter Park in Doncaster through the use of urban art, sustainable oak structures and finished with naturalisation and grassing of the surrounding space. A park in Doncaster is the latest canvas for street artists Craig Evans and Tom Jackson, who work together under the name Static  the Scarborough duo are working with Doncaster Creates and AOP Projects on their first major paint project in the north of England. This follows exhibitions in Asia and the U.S. as well as a high profile presence on the London street art scene. ​ The project,  has seen the creative pair undertake phase one of an ambitious scheme, starting with an end gable paint which forms part of a wider scheme next year, devised through engagement sessions with the public including local school children, about how best to uplift this park and imagery. Static write: Like many of the locations we have been invited to paint in the last few years, Baxter Park is a communal space somehow missing a community - a shadow of what it might have been in the past. From what we learnt by speaking with some of the local residents from Baxter Avenue during our stage #1 paint on the end gable, many people no longer feel connected to the park area, which has become a meeting place and hang-out for drunks and drug dealers, resulting in a space that has been lost and perceived as neglected by the local community and the council. What we have discovered from working on this project with Doncaster Council, Doncaster Creates and Art of Protest Projects, is that there is a desire to see change and foster a new vision of how spaces like this can be reclaimed. Combined with the integration of re-landscaping and the introduction of growing schemes in collaboration with sculptor Lewis Morgan, a sense of positivity can already be felt about the future of the area.From the school children who participated in the workshops to the parents and adults that stopped to talk to us and ask about the project - it was apparent that given the chance to reconnect with this space, people of all ages will respond and engage with ideas, inspirations and aspirations regarding the changes they want and need. By simply ‘painting some walls' , we have noticed on many occasions that it triggers a response. It demonstrates that there are people (artists like us working with collectives and individuals, councils and places of education) who care and are willing to spend time and energy on transforming places. In turn this may inspire and nurture others with a positive attitude engendering a sense of pride in the places we live and share, with our neighbours and the community as a whole.

‘Rendition’ exposes the deportation of unmarried Irish women and their infants from Britain to Ireland for incarceration in mother and baby institutions. Doncaster artist Fiona Cahill draws on her grandmother’s, her mother’s and her own experience. The term ‘rendition’ refers to informally/covertly transferring or deporting a person from one jurisdiction to another with less regulation for their humane treatment. Rendition exists outside of the usual legal processes. Fiona says, “The British State refuses to apologise for its historic treatment of unmarried mothers.”  Through the exhibition she aims to interrupt the harms of separation and extraction they suffered, that are seen in the colonised experience and in the commodification of the natural world. Fiona explains, “A ritualised meditative process allows me to transmute my grief and trauma. Community grieving rituals such as funerals remain unavailable for the vast majority of infants -sons, daughters, siblings -still hidden behind the walls of institutions in the UK and in Ireland. I hope that by recognising ongoing harms we can facilitate the UK apology my mum asked for and the sharing of our communal grief.” Fiona’s mother and grandmother, Maria and Philomena. They never saw each other again after this photo was taken. Artbomb is delighted to have secured this groundbreaking exhibition in partnership with Doncaster Unitarians, with assistance from Arts Council England and Doncaster Council.  Artbomb co-curator Jennie Gilman says, “Rendition is a raw, poetically detailed ode to Fiona’s matriarchal ancestors and a call for justice for stolen people and populations everywhere.”   Jennie feels that the exhibition is particularly timely as the delayed pre-excavation work at the Tuam sewers finally begins and the scandal resurfaces within the media. She describes Fiona’s exhibition as “a timely reclaim of the narrative told from the perspective of those still suffering from the intergenerational trauma today,”  and adds, “Through projects like Fiona’s Rendition and Spelling Mistakes Costs Lives’ Apartheid Apartments, ArtBomb is proudly evolving into a high street space which champions the art of protest and nurtures artistic freedom of expression. We’re grateful to Fiona for the warmth, passion and the gently galvanising energy she has brought to this project and are extremely proud to be exhibiting this work.”   Rev Stephanie Bisby, minister with Doncaster Unitarians, says, “This powerful and personal exhibition has implications not just for those directly affected by rendition, but for everyone impacted by generational trauma or complex family situations. We share Fiona’s interest in the power of ritual and look forward to a successful collaboration which includes Fiona’s involvement in the church’s annual flower service on Saturday 12 July, a celebration of the natural world and of the symbolism of flowers representing renewal and growth, a chance for beauty to be born out of pain, much like this exhibition.” Rendition opens at Artbomb in Doncaster at 4.30pm 10 July and will be on display until mid-August, visible from the street and open regularly from 11am-4pm on Wednesdays, as well as by arrangement at other times. The exhibition will then tour community spaces and galleries before landing at the planned site at the former Magdalene laundry on Sean McDermott Street in Dublin. Fiona Cahill, Artist tcup@ymail.com Jennie Gilman, Artbomb Co-curator jennie@artbombuk.com