Gathered, Here
Saturday, October 17th 2026 - Saturday, December 19th 2026
Da Gadderie, Shetland Museum and Archives
Gathered, Here is a new exhibition developed by Zya Community through Museums Galleries Scotland’s Delivering Change: Community Catalysts programme. Created in partnership with Shetland Museum and Archives and Inlet Studio (Edinburgh), a local fine art printer that supports and documents the artists’ creative journeys, the exhibition brings together five artists of colour to explore heritage, identity, belonging, and place.
Developed through workshops, archive research, and creative exchange in Shetland, the artists respond to museum collections, local histories, landscapes and communities through textiles, poetry, installation, sound, drawing, and printmaking. Their works explore migration, cultural inheritance, memory, and the ways personal and collective histories shape our connections to place.
Central to Gathered, Here is the question of what it means to belong. Through collaboration and shared authorship, the artists encounter Shetland’s heritage and histories through the lens of their own lived experiences, cultural histories, and creative practices. Visitors are also invited to contribute to a community response installation, creating a growing collective record of stories, memories and reflections.
Gathered, Here will be on display at Da Gadderie, Shetland Museum and Archives, from 17 October to 19 December 2026.
About the artists
Carla Angus
Carla Angus is a research-based artist and maker, exploring stories of people, place, and artefacts to recontextualise history for contemporary audiences. Her work is thoughtful and conversational, uncovering hidden connections that directly inform the choice of materials for each piece. Drawing on a background of theatre design and cultural development, Carla aims to engage the viewer’s senses, imagination, and intellect through her objects and installations. Born in London with British and Guyanese heritage, after 24 years in Aberdeenshire, she has become native to Scotland’s NE coast.
“Gathered, Here has been a unique opportunity to explore Shetland’s wonderful collections and archives as part of a new artist family, all outsiders to the islands but approaching the project with open minds and hearts. The Museum team have shared their knowledge so generously, and being able to experience the Shetland landscape has been enlightening - and invigorating! Thank you to all the project partners for making Gathered, Here possible, and for enabling an unforgettable learning step in my artist journey.”
Natalia Equihua
Natalia Equihua is a poet and textile artist whose work explores topics related to migration, family history, heritage and belonging and their connection to our natural and lived environment. She is particularly interested in experimenting with textiles and photography to extend the possibilities of the written word. Originally from Mexico, Scotland has been her home for more than a decade. Natalia’s work is an exploration of the moments and textures that can make us feel a sense of belonging and what it means to call more than one place home.
“Being part of Gathered, Here has been an incredible experience to connect with, and learn from, like-minded artists. It has also been a wonderful opportunity to meaningfully connect to Shetland and its community, to rekindle the connection to a place that was so pivotal in my migration journey. I have really enjoyed having dedicated and supported space to produce art pieces, to grow as an artist and to learn so much about process and confidence, two things that I will take with me for future projects.”
Anita Mackenzie
Anita Mackenzie is a Fife based UHI music lecturer and interdisciplinary artist. Previously an opera singer, she has moved into creating new works spanning music, poetry, theatre and visual arts, including work for the Push the Boat Out festival and a co-written play previewed at the Edinburgh Lyceum. Being of mixed heritage (Scottish Highlands and Sri Lanka), she has a particular interest in the subject of belonging and cultural inheritance. In this exhibition, Anita explores home and its resonances with mythology, folk music and storytelling, in an immersive installation that asks questions about im/permanence, and human impacts on the environment.
“Gathered, Here has been a perspective-shifting experience. Highlights have included conversations with Shetland creatives, immersing myself in the folklore, and allowing the landscape and culture to infuse the work. A question I hear for Shetland is also a burning question for people of colour: what (or who) is at the centre, what is considered peripheral, and who gets to decide?”
Lesa Ng
Lesa Ng is an Edinburgh based Glaswegian, poet, and creative facilitator. Often writing narrative prose poetry, her work explores diverse themes and genres from identity, food, and memoir to romantic poetry and speculative fiction. Inspired by a personal connection to Shetland, Lesa’s work reflects on the themes of chosen family, resilience, and the ways stories, skills, and traditions are passed between generations. Through collaboration and shared making, she considers how acts of generosity and creativity can shape our sense of family and belonging.
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Nikki Kilburn
Nikki is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice explores identity, lived experience and the intersections between personal and collective histories. Inspired by Shetland’s rich maritime history and landscapes, Nikki’s work explores connections between memory, place and storytelling. Drawing on historical research alongside folklore and imagination, she reflects on how personal and collective histories become embedded within landscapes, shaping our sense of identity, belonging and connection.
“Being part of Gathered, Here has created space to develop her own practice while working alongside a talented group of artists. It has been enriching to discover shared points of inspiration that have emerged through their work in different ways. There is something special about these connections, and about experiencing and responding to a place collectively.”
