Exiting the Forest, Into a Sea of Open Arms

Exiting the Forest, Into a Sea of Open Arms

Curated by Vibrantform

17 Jul—29 Aug 2026
Private view: Thursday, 16th July 2026, 6 – 9pm
Public Dates: Thursday – Friday, 12 – 8pm & Saturday – Sunday, 12 – 6pm

Vibrantform is an intergenerational uk-based collective of Black male artists, curators, and cultural workers. The collective is built on shared values of contemporary art, cultural expression, positive community impact, and mutual support. The exhibition has grown from this shared way of working, giving us the opportunity to freely explore ideas about identity, belonging, memory, place, and everyday life in a nurturing space where we are understood and can challenge and learn from one another. Through this collective process, Exiting the Forest, Into a Sea of Open Arms presents a vibrant range of practices and artworks, bringing together painting, sculpture, photography, assemblage, sound, animation, and archival exploration.

The exhibition traces how identity, belonging, and everyday experiences are continuously shaped through perception and social interactions. Through personal stories, found materials, folklore, memory, imagined futures, and the exploration of urban environments, the artists explore how Black diasporic histories are passed on, remembered, reshaped, and reimagined.

Rather than following a single theme, the exhibition makes space for each artist’s practice to stand on its own. It offers a portrait of a collective actively forming, questioning, and building together, while highlighting the relationships, conversations, and shared experiences that shape its work. At its heart, the exhibition also becomes a reflection of community,accountability, care, and the creative possibilities that emerge between Black men navigating artistic and personal life together.

Curated by Thomas James.

About Vibrantform

Rooted in the principles of brotherhood, mutual support, and collective growth, Vibrantform is an interdisciplinary arts collective bringing together more than 20 artists, curators, designers, writers, architects,

performers, and cultural workers. The collective creates opportunities for its members to develop their work through collaboration, conversation, and shared experience. By supporting one another both creatively and

professionally, Vibrantform aims to strengthen artistic practice while contributing to wider conversations around contemporary art and culture.

Exiting the Forest, Into a Sea of Open Arms
Artists in the show
  • Adjani Okpu-Egbe
  • Aziah Lusala
  • Donald Senyah
  • David Kwaw Mensah
  • Djofray Makumbu
  • Emmanuel Awuni
  • Geoffrey Chambers
  • Joshua Donkor
  • Ken Nwadiogbu
  • Kwesi Awotwi
  • Neequaye Dreph Dsane
  • Renoir Saulter
  • Sani Sani
  • Suley Wellings-Longmore
  • Tami Masunda
  • Tonye Ekine
  • Xavier Laurent Leopold

Artwork List

L’homme en bleu
L’homme en bleu
Djofray Makumbu , 2026
Mourning
Mourning
Emmanuel Awuni , 2015
Benjamin
Benjamin
Suley Wellings-Longmore , 2026
My mother land is cruel and unruly
My mother land is cruel and unruly
Emmanuel Awuni , 2024
Tough Love
Tough Love
Aziah Lusala , 2026
This is England
This is England
Aziah Lusala , 2026
The Shape of Arrival
The Shape of Arrival
Xavier Laurent Leopold , 2026
A joyful noise
A joyful noise
Geoffrey Chambers , 2026
Gliding Through Turbulence
Gliding Through Turbulence
Xavier Laurent Leopold , 2026
Extra Luggage
Extra Luggage
Ken Nwadiogbu , 2026
Unity
Unity
Tonye Ekine , 2023
Many Faced Man
Many Faced Man
Aziah Lusala , 2026
The Landing
The Landing
Xavier Laurent Leopold , 2026
Saiwanni ba sa san katanga (Roots Do Not Recognise Walls)
Saiwanni ba sa san katanga (Roots Do Not Recognise Walls)
Sani Sani , 2026
Gida Ya Rikice (Hausa for The House Is in Turmoil)
Gida Ya Rikice (Hausa for The House Is in Turmoil)
Sani Sani , 2026
shield leaf
shield leaf
Sani Sani , 2026
In the forest of lost memory 2
In the forest of lost memory 2
David Kwaw Mensah , 2026
In the forest of lost memory 1
In the forest of lost memory 1
David Kwaw Mensah , 2026
Furen lili (hausa for calla lily)
Furen lili (hausa for calla lily)
Sani Sani , 2026
Tower of The Dias
Tower of The Dias
Donald Senyah , 2026
Let me tell you a story
Let me tell you a story
Joshua Donkor , 2026
In the forest of lost memory 3
In the forest of lost memory 3
David Kwaw Mensah , 2026
Do not puncture
Do not puncture
Geoffrey Chambers , 2026
When things fall apart
When things fall apart
Tonye Ekine , 2026
Soulful stirring
Soulful stirring
Geoffrey Chambers , 2026
Favourite Things
Favourite Things
Geoffrey Chambers , 2026
Gnosis — off of Ancestral Grounding
Gnosis — off of Ancestral Grounding
Adjani Okpu-Egbe , 2026
Desert Blues
Desert Blues
Geoffrey Chambers , 2026
Hullabaloo
Hullabaloo
Geoffrey Chambers , 2026
Nosy Parker (3) – Balcony Sculpture
Nosy Parker (3) – Balcony Sculpture
Renoir Saulter , 2026
Nosy Parker (1) – Balcony Sculpture
Nosy Parker (1) – Balcony Sculpture
Renoir Saulter , 2026
Convex Mnemonics: Ota Benga
Convex Mnemonics: Ota Benga
Adjani Okpu-Egbe , 2015 – 2026
Reparation Monument
Reparation Monument
Adjani Okpu-Egbe , 2023 – 2026
Nosy Parker (5) – Balcony Sculpture
Nosy Parker (5) – Balcony Sculpture
Renoir Saulter , 2026
A call away
A call away
Tonye Ekine , 2026
Uncle In Ochre
Uncle In Ochre
Kwesi Awotwi , 2026
Structurally Dysfunctional Authority
Structurally Dysfunctional Authority
Sani Sani , 2026
Cherylene & Charles
Cherylene & Charles
Kwesi Awotwi , 2023
May You Shine Bright
May You Shine Bright
Kwesi Awotwi , 2024
Urban Portal 03
Urban Portal 03
Tami Masunda , 2026
Surrender
Surrender
Neequaye Dreph Dsane , 2026
There it is
There it is
Neequaye Dreph Dsane , 2025
Urban Portal 02
Urban Portal 02
Tami Masunda , 2024
The show is about to start
The show is about to start
Tonye Ekine , 2026
Urban Portal 01
Urban Portal 01
Tami Masunda , 2026
Urban Portal 04
Urban Portal 04
Tami Masunda , 2026