In March 2025, Copeland Gallery hosted ‘In the Space Between Words’ an exhibition from the Rethinking Eastern Europe collective, which brought together diverse voices and perspectives to challenge and reimagine the narratives surrounding Eastern Europe.

Through a dynamic mix of media, including video, installation, photography, sculpture and performance, the exhibition explored the complexities of identity, history, religion and geopolitical shifts that have shaped the region. The works in this show engaged with both the visible and invisible boundaries that define “Eastern Europe”, questioning notions of division, belonging, heritage and transformation. By highlighting the region’s rich cultural diversity and its ongoing reinvention, the exhibition encourages a broader dialogue about the fluidity of national and cultural identities in a rapidly changing world.

The themes resonate both globally and within local communities in South East London. While the exhibiting artists work on different topics, interrogating a plethora of ideas through distinct visual languages, audiences are invited to reflect on the power of unity and diversity in shaping our collective future.

Curators Vera Hadzhiyska and Zula Rabikowska say of the exhibition: “In today’s world, with ever-shifting socio-political landscapes, it is important to bring communities of creative practitioners together, to cross both imaginative and actual borders, to celebrate our differences and similarities in perspectives and lived experiences.

In curating ‘In the Space Between Words’ we challenge and revitalise existing stereotypes that reduce “Eastern” Europe into a homogenous bloc. We want to show the intricate complexity of the region and its diversity in terms of politics, religion, geography and history.”