The Paul Mellon Centre Newsletter

February 2026 Update

A Note from Sria Chatterjee

Hello! 

I hope the year has started gently for you. It has been a busy and stimulating month here at the Centre as we prepare to present thespring 2026 edition of our What Is Research Now? (WIRN) series. 

This edition of WIRN is titled Disabled Legacies: Beyond Access and Inclusion. It is co-convened by the writer and curator Kenny Fries, thepoet Khairani Barokka, and myself. Two main questions have guided our thinking. Can the legacies of Disability Art and Culture take us beyond “access” and “inclusion”? Can Disability Justice help us create and lead all of us to live better lives? 

The first gathering for our spring 2026 edition will take place from 26–28 February. The majority of the events will be held at the Building Centre, which is an accessible event space. It is located on Store Street, very close to the PaulMellon Centre (PMC). We are honoured to have a fantastic lineup of scholars, artists, writers and performers joining us to think together. These include Jill H. Casid, Sandy Ho, Abi Palmer, Quiplash, Simon Watney and the Resting Museum.  

In conjunction with the programme, there will be a new display at the PMC titled Misfits: Disability as Method. Curated by Virginia Marano (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology), it explores the development of disability politics and aesthetics via painting, sculpture, photography, film and archival material, spanning from theearly nineteenth century to the present day. The display runs from February 3 to April 9 and you can drop into the Centre to see it at any time during opening hours. 

We have conceived the programme with the intention of having space to breathe and be, even as we think and create together. We will have a range of spaces both social and quiet, and opportunities to connect, reflect, and rest. We will be livestreaming the events on Zoom, and you can book free tickets to attend either in person or online below.  

I look forward to seeing many of you at this gathering, in person or online. 

With best wishes, 

Sria Chatterjee
Head of Research Initiatives

Book WIRN tickets
News
 
 

Applications Open for British Art in Motion

Applications are now open for British Art in Motion. Undergraduate students from across the UK are invited to experiment with different ways of using film to bring thought-provoking ideas about art and visual culture to life. Successful participants will take part in a fully funded residency, receive a £500 production budget and have the chance to see their work screened in a central London cinema.
Learn more



Apply Now to Write on Art

Write on Art is open for applications until 21 July 2026. Now in its ninth year, this national writing programme is run in collaboration with Art UK and invites young people aged thirteen to nineteen to explore their personal, creative and critical responses to art. Learn more



New Network Convenor Announced

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Sophie Mak-Schram as theConvenor of the new Emerging Researchers in British Art (ERBA) from January 2026 until July 2027.Learn more



Freelance Opportunity

The PMC and Art UK are looking for a freelancer to develop innovative and accessible, high-quality learning resources to enthuse, inspire and support young people in participating in the Write on Art programme. Learn more



Events




Post-Colony: Artists and the Legacy of the British Empire: Panel Discussion
Tuesday 3 February 2026

This panel discussion brings together highly respected artists and thinkers from the global south to explore critical questions at a time when debates on empire and de-colonisation continue to shape our present and future. In person tickets for this event have now sold out, but online tickets are still available.

Book free tickets




Disabled Legacies: Beyond Access and Inclusion
What Is Research Now? returns later this month. The programme – through a series of talks, performances and workshops – will explore not only histories of disability but ways of thriving and being and how disability justice becomes a method and mode of being rather than a topic to be studied.

In addition to the events taking place from 27–28 February at the Building Centre, we are hosting further events at the PMC on the following dates:

26 February
‘Misfits: Disability as Method through Objects’ Private View and Talk on the Life and Work of Donald Rodney

3 March
Material Witness: Donald Rodney, British Art and the Politics of Historical Recovery

20 Mar
Researching Relevance – Disability’s Movement to Mainstream




Explore the full programme



Alessandro Mendini
The Estorick Collection
Until 10 May 2026 
Discover the UK’s first solo exhibition dedicated to Alessandro Mendini (1931–2019), one of post-war Italy’s most creative and influential designers and architects. Learn more.

Conspiracies
The Warburg Institute
13 Feb – 2 May 2026
Conspiracies presents four contemporary artists working at the seam of knowledge, conspiracy and cultural memory: Hannah Black, Caspar Heinemann, Sam Keogh, and Shenece Oretha, and asks them to respond to the Warburg Institute’s collections. Learn more.



In Other News…


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Images: Donald Rodney, X-Ray Bird, 1987, X-rays, glue and wire, The collection of Diane Symons © TheDonald Rodney Estate / Photo: Frederic Griffith; 2025 BAIM winners, photographed by Greta Zabulyte; 2025 Write on Art participants, photographed by Greta Zabulyte; Sophie Mak-Schram, photographer unknown; 2025 Write on Art participants, photographed by Greta Zabulyte; Frank Bowling, Australia to Africa (1971), acrylic and spray paint on canvas, 279 × 708.5 cm, © The Frank Bowling Foundation. All rights reserved, DACS 2026. Courtesy The Frank Bowling Foundation; Resting Museum, Time Out of (Skeletal) Joint: After Manaku; Medium: gold leaf and gouache on wasli paper, 2022–23.