For 20 years, ArtsEkta has used intercultural arts to bring people together across Northern Ireland, creating shared spaces where identity, creativity, community and heritage can be celebrated.
This summer, that story comes to our Belfast campus through Marking Time: ArtsEkta at 20, a travelling exhibition taking place as part of this year’s Belfast Mela festival programme.
From Monday 10 August to Sunday 23 August, the ground floor foyer of Block BC will become home to the exhibition.
What you’ll see in the exhibition
The exhibition captures ArtsEkta’s journey from the years following the Good Friday Agreement to its role today in helping shape more inclusive cultural spaces. Across ten themed chapters, it combines reflective text, archive photography, imagery from ArtsEkta initiatives, participant voices and key milestones.
The first half of the exhibition looks at where ArtsEkta’s story began, from its origins in post-conflict Northern Ireland to its early work with young people and global education. It also explores the development and impact of Belfast Mela, the use of outdoor spectacle to reimagine public space in Belfast, and the organisation’s role in supporting artists and cultural leadership.
The second half turns to the impact of that work in people’s lives and communities. It explores belonging and participation, diversity and cultural influence, international exchange and collaboration, reflections from lived experience, and what the next chapter could look like for ArtsEkta and the communities it works alongside.
Dr Nisha Tandon OBE, Founder and CEO of ArtsEkta, said it is especially meaningful for Ulster University to host the exhibition and panel because universities bring together people from many different backgrounds, cultures and lived experiences.
Dr Nisha Tandon OBE said:
“ArtsEkta began with a belief that arts and culture can act as a bridge between communities. Bringing Marking Time: ArtsEkta at 20 to Ulster University feels very special because universities are places where people from many different backgrounds, cultures and experiences come together, and where ideas, perceptions and stereotypes can be explored and challenged.
Over the past 20 years, our work has shown us how important it is to find strength in our diversity, embrace our differences and celebrate our cultures through the arts. We are delighted that Ulster University is continuing as a Friend of Mela and helping us mark this important anniversary of ArtsEkta by opening up that conversation with staff, students and the wider public.”
Supporting one of Northern Ireland’s largest celebrations of diversity
Ulster University is now in its third year as a Friend of Belfast Mela, working with ArtsEkta to support one of Northern Ireland’s largest celebrations of multiculturalism.
Since it was launched by ArtsEkta in 2007, Belfast Mela has grown from a one-day event in Botanic Gardens into a major festival attracting tens of thousands of visitors through music, dance, food, art, wellness and cultural experiences from around the world.
Commenting on the partnership, Professor Mary Hannon-Fletcher (opens in new window), Dean of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at Ulster University, said:
“We are proud to continue our partnership with ArtsEkta and Belfast Mela, especially in this important anniversary year. Hosting Marking Time: ArtsEkta at 20 on our Belfast campus gives our University community an opportunity to explore creativity, belonging and the role of the arts in shaping more inclusive spaces.
The exhibition reflects our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, as well as our civic role in the heart of Belfast. I would encourage you to visit the exhibition, join the panel discussion in person or online, and explore the wider Mela programme.”
Celebrate Belfast Mela across the city
Explore the Belfast Mela programme to find out what’s happening across the city from 22 to 30 August, including the Mela Carnival, Earth Child, MELA+ events and Mela Day.
