Events

Silent Echoes, Spoken Truths

08 Nov 24 — 13 Apr 25
10:00 — 17:00

Leeds Art Gallery
The Headrow
, Leeds, LS1 3AA


FREE

Experience Curtis Holder’s powerful new works in Silent Echoes, Spoken Truths, where the stories of Leeds come to life through intimate portraiture and raw emotion.

Following an 18-month artist residency, Holder’s large-scale drawings explore untold personal histories and the emotional landscapes of the Global Majority in Leeds. Each piece reflects his connections with eight individuals, capturing their stories and voices in a way that brings the unseen into focus.

Holder’s graphite and coloured pencil portraits aren’t just artworks; they are dialogues. Each sitter’s personal reflections accompany the portraits, providing a moving insight into their lived experiences. Their voices resonate alongside pieces from the gallery’s collection that sparked a personal connection for them, creating a layered exhibition that speaks to the power of representation and memory.

London-based Curtis Holder, known for his meticulous craftsmanship, gained widespread acclaim after winning the 2020 Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year. His work is characterised by an evocative approach to capturing human expression, transforming paper into a space where identity, emotion, and narrative converge. The exhibition is a culmination of his residency at Leeds Art Gallery, part of the 20/20 initiative by the Decolonising Arts Institute.

 


 

School Workshop – Portrait Conversations

Running from 13 January to 28 March 2025, this workshop invites students to engage with the exhibition’s themes and express their own creativity through portraiture and storytelling.

 


 

Image : Seki Lynch, 2024 Curtis Holder © Curtis Holder