ADINA BRINGS HER ART TO TOWN
Photographer’s exhibition of portraits starts in Hanley’s former Body Shop today
AN EMPTY shop will be taken over by an exhibition from a local photographer which celebrates the people and landscapes of North Staffordshire.
Starting today, the former Body Shop premises in Stafford Street, Hanley, will be filled by the launch of Adina Lawrence’s Diverse Landscapes, timed to coincide with Black History Month.
The exhibition of 21 portraits will be on display for six weeks.
Adina, who graduated with a photojournalism degree from Staffordshire University, is now a fulltime mental health worker and a mum.
The exhibition is a result of a call out from city organisation Urban Wilderness, which asked artists to explore their experiences of lockdown.
Adina said: “Photography is an escape for me.
“My shoots combine fashion and fantasy, and this exhibition is about telling the story of our local people and the places we all share.”
The North Staffordshire locations featured in the exhibition range from Central Forest Park to the Roaches.
As a black British woman, Adina says that ‘representing the diverse cultures and personal histories of the people who make up our communities was really key to how I see North Staffordshire.’
The models were asked to wear clothing that reflecting their personal stories.
An Urban Wilderness spokesperson said: “We loved Adina’s pictures from the start, they are so full of colour and life. We immediately imagined them brightening up some of Hanley’s empty shop windows and we’ve been delighted to work with the City Centre BID and Intu Potteries to make that happen.”
Richard Buxton of the Business Improvement District (BID) said: “Stokeon-trent City Centre BID are delighted to be financially backing the
Adina Lawrence Exhibition via our
Create Fund initiative.
“Supporting arts and culture in the city centre is an integral part of the BID’S work in Stoke-on-trent.”