LONDON.- A significant dialogue on migration, belonging, and heritage is taking shape in London as the Ben Uri Gallery and Museum—Europe’s first institution dedicated to immigrant artists—moves beyond gallery walls. The groundbreaking open-air exhibition – titled “Always Changing. Always Welcoming” --curated by Sarah MacDougall is currently on display at the O2 Centre in Northwest London, transforming a busy urban thoroughfare into a curated space of public reflection.

While the exhibition features a broad spectrum of the immigrant contribution to British visual culture, and includes works by Tam Joseph, Elisabeth Tomalin, and Frank Auerbach, the practice of renowned artist Nasser Azam serves as a vital focal point. Azam’s work functions as a bridge between his personal history and the collective memory of the city.

The Art of the Diaspora

Having moved from Pakistan to London in 1970 at just five years old, Azam recalls the early "sensory flashes" of the streets and the emotional "rupture" of migration. This life-changing transition into a world of different languages and expectations left him hyper-aware of his identity, forcing him to navigate an "in-between" space where he never felt he entirely belonged to one culture or the other.

It was through his art that Azam eventually began to see his personal story as part of the broader collective experience of the diaspora.

At the centre of this dialogue is Azam's 1982 watercolour, The Contrast, now part of Ben Uri Gallery and Museum’s permanent collection. Painted during his formative years in Northwest London, the work explores the dislocation and duality of growing up between two cultures. Using bold, expressionist strokes and symbols from both Eastern and Western visual vocabularies, Azam creates an intentional tension. The piece depicts two generations of his family – his mother and brother – joined in a gesture of deep tenderness that reflects the strength of familial bonds amidst the challenges of a new life.

A similar focus on family is found in his 1981 work Newborn, which depicts an infant cousin cradled in a mother's arms; by omitting the mother's face in a style reminiscent of Victorian "Hidden Mother" photography, Azam focuses the viewer entirely on the protective, nurturing gesture.

Mapping Identity and Responsibility

Azam’s broader "Diaspora Project" maps this artistic journey onto the very London streets he has inhabited for decades. Returning to these neighbourhoods as an established artist allowed him to "stitch his past into the city’s fabric," turning a private journey into a shared landscape where others can see parts of their own stories.

Through pieces like Dog Days, he tackles themes of modern British politics and race, asserting that diaspora artists have a responsibility to "bear witness" and add complexity to often polarized narratives.

For Azam, home is not just a geographical place, but a layered collection of memory, language, and identity. Even when he returned to Pakistan as an adult, he found the reality far more complex than the "romantic" version filtered through childhood memory, reinforcing his view that reality deepens what memory simplifies. His work continues to preserve these transient emotions and the "lost narratives" of migrant communities, ensuring that stories of struggle and joy are immortalized.

Looking forward, Azam is expanding this dialogue globally, with new public installations exploring identity and place in Miami and Los Angeles and plans to extend the Diaspora Project to other international cities where he has lived. Through his art, he hopes to empower the younger generation to see their backgrounds as a source of strength.

"I want them to look at my work and think: ‘I belong here. My story matters’" Nasser Azam

“Always Changing. Always Welcoming”, Ben Uri Gallery and Museum, curated by Sarah MacDougall is exhibited at the O2 Centre, London NW3 through mid-2026.