Our exchange artists in front of our Portsmouth Mural - Photo credit Joe Watson

An international cultural exchange between This New Ground in the UK and Kaethe K Kunsthaus in Germany, supported by Cultural Bridge.

What happens when artists with a learning disability from different countries, speaking different languages and bringing different creative experiences, come together to make art?

This was the starting point for Shared Lines, an international partnership between This New Ground (TNG), based in Portsmouth and London, and Kaethe K Kunsthaus in Cologne, Germany.

Through two artist residencies in June and October 2026, we explored how visual art and non-verbal creative collaboration could bring people together, while learning from each other's approaches to inclusive arts practice.

Building Creative Connections in Cologne

In June, TNG artists Emma and Cam, accompanied by Lucy and Nathalie, travelled to Cologne for a week-long residency hosted by Kaethe K Kunsthaus.

We spent time getting to know the artists, exploring their studios and taking part in creative workshops. Together, we experimented with photography, drawing and developing universal symbols to communicate ideas without relying on spoken language.

We also explored Cologne's creative community, visiting Kunsthaus KAT18, taking part in a Museum in a Box workshop at Ehrenfeld Mosque and discovering the city's cultural landmarks.

One of the most valuable aspects of our visit was learning about Kaethe’s approach to long-term individual artist development. We were inspired by how artists are supported over many years to explore their interests, develop their own creative identities and establish distinctive artistic practices.

For TNG artist Emma, the experience was particularly meaningful:

"I've definitely learned a lot about myself through this trip. I've grown more confident, learned new skills but also made amazing memories to look back on many years to come."

Bringing Shared Lines to Portsmouth

In October, we were delighted to welcome our friends from Cologne to the UK for the second residency.

During our visit to Germany, we had been inspired by Kaethe’s artist Alex's love of street art. We were also excited to share Portsmouth's vibrant street art culture, including the city's LOOKUP Street Art Festival, which has brought artists together to create public artworks across Portsmouth.

This shared enthusiasm for street art inspired us to create a collaborative mural, celebrating connections between people and places while increasing the visibility of artists with a learning disability.

TNG artists Emma, Cam and Orlando worked remotely with Kaethe artists Firat and Alex to develop the design, before coming together to paint it during the residency.

The artists transformed a wall opposite Somerstown Hub in Portsmouth into a colourful celebration of creativity and connection. It was wonderful to hear positive feedback from local residents, who stopped to share how much the mural had brightened up their neighbourhood.

Alongside the mural, we explored Portsmouth's cultural spaces, including the Mary Rose Museum and Aspex Portsmouth, where TNG artists Emma and Cam led a digital portrait workshop, sharing their creative skills with the visiting artists.

We finished the week with a trip to London, exploring Tate Modern and experiencing Tarek Atoui's immersive sound installation in the Turbine Hall.

Reflecting on the UK residency, Emma said:

"I've had the best week. I loved painting the mural together and seeing our designs come to life. I loved showing the best of the city of Portsmouth and leading a digital workshop at Aspex."

Learning from Different Approaches to Art

One of the most interesting aspects of Shared Lines has been discovering the different approaches our organisations take to supporting artists with a learning disability.

At Kaethe, we saw a strong emphasis on long-term individual artistic development, where artists are supported to develop their own creative practices, with a focus on artistic expression and art in its own right.

When our German partners visited Portsmouth, we shared TNG's Inside exhibition at Aspex, which formed part of a wider group exhibition. Inside was rooted in disability arts, creating space for artists with a learning disability to explore identity, challenge perceptions and amplify voices that are often unheard.

These different approaches have sparked important conversations. When should artwork be presented through the lens of disability identity, and when should it simply be celebrated as art? How can we support artists to develop their individual practices while also creating opportunities for collective expression?

And, crucially, how can artists with a learning disability lead decisions about how artwork is selected, interpreted and presented?

These are questions we are only beginning to explore, but they have opened up exciting possibilities for future collaboration.

Continuing the Conversation

Although our two residencies have finished, Shared Lines is still very much a work in progress.

We are continuing to reflect on the exchange with our artists and will be working together to create a collaborative zine, bringing together artwork, photographs, experiences and reflections from both residencies. This will act as a creative legacy of the project and help us capture what we have learned.

We are also beginning to explore how we might deepen our relationship with Kaethe, particularly through our shared interest in inclusive curation and developing approaches that support both individual artistic development and collective, artist-led practice.

For us, Shared Lines has been about much more than travelling and making art together. It has created friendships, built confidence, challenged our thinking and opened up conversations about how artists with a learning disability can have greater ownership over their creative practice and how their work is shared with the world.

A huge thank you to the wonderful artists and team at Kaethe K Kunsthaus, and to everyone who helped make both residencies possible.

And thank you to Cultural Bridge for supporting this opportunity to connect, create and learn together across borders.

Shared Lines has shown us that creativity can connect people across languages and cultures, while opening up new ways of thinking about artistic identity, collaboration and whose voices are heard.