Beauty Fall: creative workshops exploring representations of beauty

How do we measure beauty? How do idealised standards of beauty affect our self-esteem and worth? Can we reclaim and reshape the concept of beauty in a digital age? 

Artist Sabrina Tirvengadum will guide you through a series of creative workshops examining how modern beauty standards – primarily shaped by Western ideals, the beauty industry and social media – affect our identity and our connection to our heritage. 

Such standards often exclude racially minoritised people of colour, LGBTQ+ communities, and anyone whose features do not match Eurocentric ideas of beauty.

When we feel pressure to conform to prescribed beauty guidelines; when we change, lighten, smooth or hide our natural features, we risk losing a deeper connection not just to ourselves, but to our ancestors. Reclaiming our reflection brings them back into view, into the present, and refuses to let them be erased.

As a workshop participant, you will use collage, writing, drawing and AI-generated imagery to explore personal experiences of beauty. The sessions offer space to create visual stories that celebrate ancestry and individuality. 

If you are able to, please bring printed or digital copies of personal photos that are meaningful to you. These will help inspire your artwork and honour the people and histories you carry with you.

To offer a collective expression of what beauty means, some of the artworks made in the workshops may be included in a final exhibition to be shown at SPACE Gallery in 2026.

The workshops will run on the following dates. To book your free place, click on one of the links below:

• Sat 23 Aug 2025, 11am – 3pm
  Two sessions of 90 mins each – suitable for ages 16+
• Wed 24 Sep 2025, 10.30am – 1pm
  One session – adults aged 18+ only
• Sat 8 Nov 2025, 11am – 3pm
  Two sessions of 90 minutes each – suitable for ages 16+
• Wed 26 Nov 2025, 10.30am – 1pm
  One session – adults aged 18+ only

There are a limited number of places so please ensure you are able to attend before signing up. We would like to maximise the number of places available to participants, so for this reason we regret it is not possible to attend more than one workshop.

Please select a morning or afternoon time slot and arrive at SPACE Ilford at least 10 minutes before your allocated session. Latecomers may not be admitted.

All equipment and materials will be supplied. 

—

Sabrina Tirvengadum is a deaf British Mauritian visual artist and graphic designer based in London. She holds a BA (Hons) in Photographic Arts from the University of Westminster. Her work focuses on identity, memory and ancestral history, using photography, collage, AI and digital painting. She has exhibited at venues like the Attenborough Arts Centre and Autograph. Sabrina is the founder of We’re All Human and was selected for the 2025 Autograph x Light Work residency.