The new exhibition Atchin Tan opens at Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum on Saturday 26 October.

The exhibition is a visual journey through time of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) communities. Curated by Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum with members of the communities, the exhibition features artworks on loan from Tate by Turner, Gainsborough and Munnings, alongside newly commissioned works by Romani artists.

The exhibition has sprung from Museums Worcestershire’s Vardo Project; a project to build a contextualising archive for Worcestershire’s unique and rare collection of Vardoes (gypsy caravans); the largest and most complete collection in the UK. Vardoes are rare as historically, many were burnt on the death of the owner. They are extremely significant to Worcestershire’s museum collection as the Gypsy, Roma, Traveller community are historically Worcestershire’s largest ethnic minority and an integral part of the county’s culture and agricultural year. 

Atchin Tan is the Romani phrase for Stopping Place. Atchin Tan - Travelling Through Art is a journey through art history, stopping to explore at various periods of time representations depicting a community that has long been present if not necessarily seen or heard.

The journey begins with some of the earliest representations of travelling life, through to modern representations by contemporary Romani artists, including works demonstrating skills from endangered crafts. Three of the contemporary artists have direct connections to Worcestershire’s collections - Tim Shore whose great-grandmother was born in one of the Vardoes now part of the County Museum collection; Imogen Di’sapia, the great-niece of Freedom Smith, the subject of a portrait by Dame Laura Knight recently acquired by Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum and on display in the exhibition; and Kelly Horsely who is the great-niece of Lilo Loveridge, mother-in-law of Freedom Smith.

As well as enjoying nationally renowned artworks, visitors to Atchin Tan can hear oral histories, enjoy traditional Romani storytelling, and leaf through family photograph albums, whilst discovering how Romani identity has been portrayed through time. Traditional items and items handmade for the exhibition will be on display in Crystal’s Vardo in the centre of the gallery.

Deborah Fox, Senior Curator at the Art Gallery and Museum commented: “This exhibition records the stories of communities which have been historically important to Worcestershire. It is a privilege to have worked with these communities and to be able to show their history through these amazing artworks by nationally renowned artists and brand-new commissions”.

Atchin Tan at Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum is part of The Vardo Project based at Worcestershire County Museum at Hartlebury Castle and has received funding from the John Ellerman Foundation and the Elmley Foundation.

The exhibition opens on Saturday 26 October and runs until Sunday 5 January 2025. Admission is free and the Art Gallery & Museum is open Tuesday - Saturday, 10am - 4pm, and Sunday 10am - 3pm.