Director

I am an artist with a multi-disciplinary practice spanning various media whose research centres on examining identity and value through the lens of a British Asian woman. As director of OVADA, I am particularly interested in growing public engagement through exhibitions, events and workshops that include and empower all members of our society in the spirit of caring and sharing.

Interests; Walker, talker and oversharer

Engagement Coordinator

I programme our workshops here at OVADA, look after our Associate Members, and provide support with exhibitions, events and fundraising. My previous role was at a commercial art gallery, working on exhibition projects both in-house and at art fairs across the UK. I am really excited about this move to OVADA and being able to work on community-engaged projects as well as expand my knowledge of other conceptual art forms. The warehouse is such a powerful, dynamic space and I can’t wait to see how it transforms with each new creative project!

I am also a practising mixed media figurative artist with a background in illustration. Although my work is rooted in delicate portraiture, it is currently evolving to explore deeper themes of memory, mental health, relationships and personal crisis. I am looking forward to connecting with other artists through OVADA.

Tea addict, animal lover, ultra runner

(Profile photo by Barbara Asboth)

Marketing Coordinator

I’m a local artist and a recent graduate of The Ruskin School of Art. Working across mediums, I often use a combination of photography, textiles, collage, sound and found objects to relay personal memories or to create alternative narratives. Recent work has been participatory in nature: allowing visitors to touch and move, contribute to, or pick up and listen to my artworks within an installation. I’m interested in visual languages which play on concepts such as repetition, tourism, time, place and intimacy.

It’s exciting to work with OVADA to think of unconventional ways to reach the local community through arts, events and workshops. I’m looking forward to meeting other emerging artists and learning from their collaborations with OVADA.

Coffee sipper; Filmmaking enthusiast; Hobby collector

(Profile photo by Gala Hills)

Chair

I have enjoyed voluntary roles on the Boards of Art organisations since my student days at Goldsmiths when I was on the committee that set up the New Young Contemporaries putting on our first show at the Serpentine Gallery London. This involvement in supporting artists has continued ever since. Teaching and mentoring at all levels has enriched my understanding about the pathways that are open to practicing artists.

I have been involved in Ovada for many years having first got involved before it moved into the Warehouse. I am a practicing artist and regularly exhibit paintings and sculptures in various settings. My work is held in public collections.

Trustee

I’ve worked as a curator for many years. Most recently I have been an adviser to the New Hall Collection of Women's Art in Cambridge. Before that I was at Manchester Art Galleries, responsible for the collections, exhibitions and education programmes.

I’ve lived in Oxford since 2017 and have discovered a love of making art myself through taking classes at OVADA.

When I’m not doing art-related stuff I’m mostly creating a garden and keeping on top of an allotment.

Gardening obsessive; gallery and museum frequenter; addicted to rubbish TV

Trustee

i’m an artist working with fragile histories of people and place, memory and archives. Recent work has centred on the domestic space as a site for exploring intergenerational narratives through expanded approaches to painting and sculpture. Other projects include “Urbansuburban”, curated by Modus Operandi as part of the Arts at Westgate programme and “Finding our way” a collaboration with Euton Daley, Dr Hanna Klien-Thomas and Dr María del Pilar Blanco as part of a TORCH funded knowledge exchange project. I’m a lecturer in Fine Art at Oxford Brookes.

DIYer, gardener and composter, bookworm

Trustee

I am an artist and lifetime member of the University of Oxford. My work centres upon collaboration and performance and reflects upon my own synaesthesia (the experience of seeing sound).I am interested in working across different artforms and disciplines.I am passionate about the role in which the therapeutic role Arts can play, and over the years have worked in a variety of public settings and on public engagement, especially with the vulnerable, and within Mental Health Care settings.

Interests - Improvisation and contemporary Music, Meditation and Nature.

Trustee

I am a visual artist and creative professional based in Oxford. I work with analogue photography and I am exploring themes of female art, social isolation and immigration how they relate to new and technology. I am interested in artist entrepreneurship and community engagement. I am dedicated to helping creative businesses reach their full potential.

You can find me staring at my phone in Oxford coffee shops and making conversation with neighbours’ cats.