Exiting the Forest, Into a Sea of Open Arms 

Hypha Gallery 1 / No. 1 Poultry, London EC2R 8EN

PV: Thursday, 16th July 2026, 6-9pm

Open: 17th July – 29th August 2026, 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.