A film of the Retracing Ribeiro exhibition at the Burgh House and Hampstead Museum was shown to elders at their Age UK Centre. Biographer, David Buckman, presented aspects of Ribeiro’s life in post-war Britain, and particularly in his local area of Hampstead. This was followed by a visit to the exhibition, featuring a reminiscence session inspired by artefacts from the Ribeiro archive. The session concluded with the group painting their own pieces, as inspired by Ribeiro’s Heads and Townscapes which were then hung in the gallery in the exhibition’s final weeks.

We ran a series of reminiscence sessions with a group of Over-55s from the Holborn Community Association who visited the Camden Local Studies and Archives Centre to see the Retracing Ribeiro archival exhibition. The group shared memories of their own experiences living in Bloomsbury, particularly following London’s post-war years, followed by reminiscence interviews at their local Millman Street Community Centre.

As part of the V&A Ribeiro Community Arts Project, our Bengali Grandmothers from the ‘Grandmas That Brunch Club’ who - like Ribeiro - had left the subcontinent in search of a new life in Britain, were tasked with painting their self-portraits on silk. For many, this was one of the rare outings away from home and a chance to express their voice collectively and share their experiences with us.