Aaisha Akhtar
Artistic Lead
Aaisha has just recently completed an MA in Comparative Literature and Critical Theories at the University of Birmingham. She is part of the Literature Must Fall collective which is a platform dedicated to de-mystifying and de-sacralising literature; co-organising the LMF Festival back in 2019. Interests include but are not limited to pop culture, the gaze and emotion.
Eliza Gharbaran
Community Ambassador & Creative Community Lead
Eliza, also known as Khawlah, is an international author and founder of the community organisation SISTERS' PROJECT, supporting and empowering female led households. At Ort Gallery she supports the Creative Community project.
Hannah Adereti
Board of Directors
Hannah Adereti is a Non-Binary academic and artist of Jamaican and Nigerian heritage. Their research centres Black identities, queerness, alternative ethnography, radio, photography, documentary film making and archiving. In 2019 they created a documentary, “Safe Spaces: Brown, Queer and Muslim” where they explored their interest in intersectional queer identity and the safety of compartmentalisation.
Ian Sergeant
Board of Directors
Ian is a Curator and producer of Visual Art and Cinema. He is the director of Kalaboration. At Ort Gallery Ian advises on the programme and curates exhibitions.
Jaleesa Padmore
Volunteer
Jaleesa is a recent University of Birmingham graduate undertaking a summer internship at Ort Gallery as part of the paid Experience Arts Internship programme. She will be supporting the team to plan and deliver an upcoming exhibition, observe workshops and receive mentoring from Ort Gallery team members.
Jasmine Khodadeen
Assistant Curator
Jasmine is completing an internship that is sponsored by the University of Birmingham. For the next few weeks, Jasmine will be helping the team with the new Stay and Play programme, social media management, general day-to-day running of the gallery and art workshops!
Josephine Reichert
Finance & Fundraising Lead
Josephine is a Curator and Producer of Visual Arts. Co-founder of Ort Cafe and founder of Ort Gallery.
Orphée Kashala
Curator - 'Emergence(y)' Project Ort Gallery x ICF
Orphée Kashala is a Birmingham based curator. His curatorial practice promotes care, inclusion, empathy, equality and understanding by telling stories that explore and challenge our collective perception of the human experience. He curated his first exhibition titled "Survivor's Guilt" for the Coventry Migrant Centre; which examined and showcased the bittersweet memories and lived realities of African migrants living in the UK via photography, videography, installation and poetry. He is currently the Creative Producer at Maokwo.
Ridhi Kalaria
Board of Directors
Ridhi is a local networker with a passion to change communities from within. Ridhi is a co-founder of Ort Cafe. At Ort Gallery Ridhi advises on finance and diversity.
Samantha Krankpod
Workshop Facilitator and Artist
Samantha is a local ceramic artist with 20 years creative teaching experience, working with children, families and adults. Her most recent projects have been in collaboration with mental health charities, designing and delivering bespoke art projects. At Ort she facilitates Family Art Workshops.
Sampira Al-Fihri
Board of Directors
Sampira is a horror producer and curator based in Birmingham. Her work centers around unheard voices and communities in horror and takes the form of immersive exhibitions that intersect visual art, grime, hip hop and film. She also works as a consultant and project officer with Inc Arts, who pioneer racial and disability equality in the arts.
Sarah Francis
Curator - 'Emergence(y)' Project Ort Gallery x ICF
Sarah Francis is a Leeds based Artist Curator who focuses on bringing under-recognised artists and narratives to the public, using empathy and warmth to build self-confidence in creatives left behind by the mainstream system. Francis’ artwork centres around her neurodiverse and queer identity. Her work has been shortlisted for the Saatchi Gallery's Art of Giving Prize, selected by Richard Billingham for Curator's Choice Noise Young Talent 2009, and recognised in Aesthetica's 100 Best Contemporary Artists in Europe. In addition to her work, Sarah Francis is the Founder and Director of Aire Place Studios, Leeds.
Sarah Lopez
Artist & Audience developer
Sarah is a Birmingham based Community Coordinator who creates engagement programmes and workshops. She really enjoys work that empowers marginalised groups such as the LGBT and Black community. She's also a creative, her artistry includes photography, performance and songwriting.
At Ort Sarah is leading the Warmth work.
