Exploring Identity Through Art: Q&A with Arpita Shah

We spoke to Arpita Shah the artist facilitator behind our latest exhibition at Charleston in Lewes ‘Small Things, BIG! Ideas’ featuring artwork from students at Priory School.

In this Q&A, she reflects on the creative process, the themes of identity, community and Britishness and what it means to share young people’s perspectives in a gallery space.

Q: Can you tell us a bit about the project—what inspired it, and how did you approach the workshops with the students?

A: We drew initial inspiration from‘Grayson Perry: A Temple for Everyone’ The aim was to invite students to explore creative ways of expressing identity using different artistic mediums. My own practice is rooted in photography and portraiture, so we started by handing students digital cameras and encouraging them to experiment with how a single frame can reveal aspects of a person – through lighting, clothing, camera angles, and expressions.

Perry’s playful use of mixed media really struck a chord with me, and I wanted to bring that into the sessions. Alongside traditional photographic portraiture, students explored symbolism, iconography, surrealism, and collage to express inner narratives—emotions, dreams, or subconscious states.

During our field trip to Charleston, the students were especially drawn to Perry’s ‘Map of Nowhere’, which he once described as a “mood board of what was going on in his head.” That really resonated and inspired their own creative outcomes.

Across five days, we introduced a range of techniques—studio photography, collage, cyanotypes using 3D objects and digital negatives. Each session focused on a different method, while giving students time to experiment, reflect, and shape their final artworks.

Q: What inspired the choice of themes – identity, community, and Britishness – and how did you encourage students to engage with them?

A: Perry’s exhibition really inspired these themes, but as an artist myself, who explores identity and belonging, I think there is so much power and inspiration in expressing your own experiences. You can challenge stereotypes, represent and celebrate diverse voices, connect with others through your own story and also understand yourself better.

As a starting point I always bring a very large selection of photography books to my workshops, and encourage students to flick through them, bookmarking what they like and then inviting them share why they were drawn to these particular art works. So much imagery and art we consume is on digital screens, so I really wanted the students to slow down and flick through the same book a few times and hopefully discover new things each time.

Alongside this, I prepared short slide shows every workshop of relevant artists and introduced students to understanding visual language, photographic genres and symbolism. Everyone responds to art so differently based on own experiences, so the interpretation is always so open ended. Because, there is not one singular meaning, the students really engaged in our discussions and made some really meaningful observations. These conversions and introductions to various artists really inspired some of the students, when making their final works.

The cyanotype process itself is also quite exciting because of its unpredictability, so I think this is something that also kept them curious and engaged. In small groups, everyone spent time in the dark room exposing and washing their prints together, and there was a really lovely community of support and encouragement.

Q: You introduced students to a range of image-making techniques. How did they respond to the different approaches?

A: I was so impressed with how quickly they embraced each method. The pop-up portrait studio was a hit—especially experimenting with flash photography and bringing in outfits or props. After visiting the Perry exhibition, we had a collage session that felt much slower and more reflective, but also really sociable and relaxed.

Cyanotypes were new to most of the students, so there was a sense of suspense – but once they saw their first prints develop, they were hooked! Watching them queue up for another go in the darkroom was such a joy.

Q: Did you see any changes in the students’ confidence or creativity as the sessions went on?

We had such a brilliant group of talented young students, and it was wonderful seeing how vocal and expressive they were in discussing the visual language in the art work we were looking at and how they applied that to their own creative and critical thinking. By the time it came to making their final cyanotypes, they were all brimming with ideas, some students had planned out sketches and notes of what symbols and portraits they would be using, while others just worked more intuitively.

Seeing everyone’s reactions when their final images slowly emerged in the water was just magical! You never quite know what you’re going to get with cyanotypes, so it’s always a bit of a surprise and addictive because you always want to have another go.

 

Q: What do you hope the students take away from this experience beyond the finished artwork?

A: I really hope they learnt some new creative techniques that they can explore further at school or in the future at college or university. We had a 5 full day workshops with the students, which was a great amount of time for them to really get an insight into how some artists develop their artwork, the various stages of research, experimentation, production, editing and exhibiting.

This may be some of the student’s first public exhibition and what an iconic space to show in, so that’s a really special experience for them, and for the school and for us too. It was such an honour facilitating these workshops and meeting them all, and I really hope they feel really proud of themselves and more confident in discussing, questioning and exploring art.

Q: What excites you most about this new exhibition, ‘Small things, BIG! ideas’?

A: The fact that it’s up for such a substantial period feels really important. Often, community-led projects aren’t given the space or visibility they deserve – so to have these young artists’ work on display in a gallery like Charleston is incredible.

Their portraits and prints bring fresh perspectives to the space and the Lewes community. Photography is such an accessible medium – cyanotypes especially, which just need coated paper, sunlight, and water. I hope the exhibition, alongside the pop-up library and DIY handouts, inspires visitors to try it themselves.

Q: What advice would you give to young artists who are just beginning to explore personal stories through their art?

A: Start by visiting a library or bookshop and spend time with art books – find the ones that really speak to you. Research the artists you’re drawn to, go to their shows or talks if you can, and look into their work online.

Then, just keep experimenting. Make work, share it with peers or mentors, and reflect. Ask yourself: What do I want to say? What do I want to understand better? Remind yourself why your work matters to you—because believing in yourself and your vision is so important, and not always easy.

For anyone interested in photography and identity, I’d recommend looking at the work of Cindy Sherman, Dawoud Bey, Dana Lixenberg, Dayanita Singh, Thomas Struth, Hannah Starkey, Rotimi Fani-Kayode, Diane Arbus, Priya Suresh Kambli, Rineke Dijkstra, and Richard Avedon.