A new Queer Futures exhibition in Birmingham will bring together film, photography, sculpture and print by LGBTQI+ artists from Central and Eastern Europe who now live in the UK. Curated by Zula Rabikowska, the show runs at Centrala from 2 October to 12 December 2026, placing stories of identity, migration and creative practice in the spotlight.
Seven artists, one vivid conversation
Queer Futures brings together work by Arti Siudem, Janina Sabaliauskaitė, Siarhei Yazlavetski and Aleh Razhkou, Byuka Makodru, Yuri Dvizhon and Sebi Bruckner. Centrala describes it as a group exhibition spanning film, photography, sculpture and print, so visitors can expect more than a traditional wall-based display.
The gallery’s exhibition archive says the works include documentary and staged photography, moving image, installation and self-published print. That mix gives the show room for intimate perspectives as well as experiments with form.
Migration and identity shape the exhibition
The artists’ work is presented in relation to migration, border-crossing and displacement, alongside personal archives, folklore, self-portraiture and documentary film. ArtRabbit’s listing also frames the exhibition through themes including love, community, care and chosen family.
Those ideas meet in a show about lived experience as much as artistic medium. And while the exhibition brings together artists with connections to several countries, Centrala’s archive is the clearest guide to its scope and themes.
Zula Rabikowska brings relevant experience
The exhibition is curated by Polish artist and curator Zula Rabikowska. Her professional biography describes documentary work focused on migration, identity and LGBTQI+ communities, offering useful context for her role in shaping a show centred on those subjects.
Centrala’s associated artist talk adds another layer, with Rabikowska hosting a panel featuring five artists from the exhibition. The discussion is framed around queerness, life in the UK, and the relationship between Eastern European identities and creative practice.
Plan a visit to Centrala in Digbeth
The exhibition is scheduled to run from 2 October to 12 December 2026 at Centrala, Unit 4 Minerva Works, 158 Fazeley Street, Birmingham. The venue’s launch listing gives the opening event as 6pm to 9pm on Friday 2 October, as part of Digbeth First Friday.
Centrala’s wider programme also includes events linked to the exhibition, including a public open-mic gathering focused on queer and migrant stories. If you’re planning a visit, check the gallery’s own listings for event details and opening information before setting out.
A gallery show with space for participation
Queer Futures is not presented simply as a display of finished works. Its related events invite audiences to engage with the stories and themes around the exhibition, extending the experience beyond the gallery walls.
That approach feels fitting for a show concerned with community and connection. The works may take different forms, but together they offer a space to consider how identity, movement and belonging shape creative lives.
It's a chance to encounter varied artistic voices, and the stories behind them.
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