Our 2025 exhibition explores the overlooked richness and diversity of working-class culture and creative expression in post-war Britain.

We’ll be presenting surprising and unknown works from key UK archives and public collections, to offer a nuanced and authentic reflection on working-class experiences.  Looking beyond the usual narratives of crisis and struggle, works from brilliant and rarely seen regional collections will express complexity and humour, brought together within an architectural setting that both manifests and interrogates wealth and privilege.

Through photography, painting, sculpture and ceramics, Lives Less Ordinary will challenge the enduring misrepresentation of the working-classes on the walls of our institutions, showcasing artists who define working-class culture and identities on their own terms.