Inside
Aspex from 27 March – 7 June 2026.
Inside was presented at Aspex from 27 March – 7 June 2026.
Inside is an immersive, participatory exhibition exploring what home means through the stories and histories of people living with a learning disability in Portsmouth.
‘We want to turn a negative past into a positive future for people with disabilities. When we can do this, it will be a weight off our shoulders.’ - Olivia, This New Ground Artist
Inside unravels the many meanings of home - how it holds us, defines us, and at times, confines us. It asks what it means to belong. This exhibition invites you to step gently and attentively, into the lived realities of people with a learning disability to encounter their past and present, and to imagine what futures could emerge.
For many, the idea of home is not simple or singular. The lives of people with a learning disability are often complex; steered by systems, barriers, and decisions made by others. Untrue stereotypes and narrow-minded assumptions reduce people to simplified characters, denying them of their autonomy. Their relationship to home can be difficult at times, wrapped in contrasting feelings of joy and despair.
Nearly one in three young people with a learning disability spend less than an hour outside their home on a typical Saturday (Mencap, 2016). For adults, one in four spend less than an hour outside each day. These figures speak not only of isolation, but of the social, structural, and emotional challenges that are part of everyday life. Similar consensus was collected by This New Ground in their Groundwork project.
Groundwork sought to make visible the history of learning disability in the city of Portsmouth, told from the voices of people with a learning disability. Participants were interviewed by artists at This New Ground and were invited to share their story, and thoughts on the notion of home. Over the course of two years, 50 interviews now exist as Portsmouth’s first-ever dedicated archive of the contributions and experiences of people with a learning disability.
Inside opens a space to listen differently. Here, experience is not interpreted from the outside, but spoken from within – through the words, memories, and expressions of those who live it.
