An arts group is giving marginalised disabled and neurodivergent artists the opportunity to find their true creative voice.

Elle Fyre, 22, founder and managing director of Nirvanas Arts collective, is planning an exhibition called All Things Hidden and Unseen at Gallery 24 on Snig Hill in the hope of eradicating inequality. 

Mrs Fyre said: “I have been ill for 11 years and I’ve been an artist for a lot of that time, I just felt there wasn’t any space in the arts industry for us.

“I thought I’d be able to make a difference in this area with something I’m passionate about”.

Mrs Fyre took on the event to utilise her platform to create a space of representation and visibility and works to create sustainable creative careers as a disabled and chronically ill part time worker. 

She said: “I hope the disabled and neurodivergent artists have the opportunity to start building a career for themselves and that’s really important, particularly in the current climate where a lot of disabled people are being pushed into self employment because access to work isn’t there.

“We must start creating an infrastructure that supports them to have sustainable but valuable careers”. 

Experts say disabled individuals often have a comorbid mental health condition because of their experience. This is not necessarily because they inherently have a mental health condition. 

Mrs Fyre added: “I want to do justice to those in the exhibition, so having conversations with local organisations just to try and get visibility.

“It’s really important that we connect with local people in the area, whether that’s MP’s and the general public just to say we’re here, these people are here, they exist and they deserve the attention”. 

Nirvanas Arts Collective encourages all artists to get involved.

The founder and managing director of Nirvanas Arts collective said: “The exhibition is a conversation about disability representation, but I think whilst it is great to highlight that, it’s also to show that these people are creative, that is who they are first and foremost”. 

The venue is accessibility friendly with local pick up and drop off services available.

The exhibition will take place on 12-23 August. To join this summer exhibition submission, go to https://www.nac-cic.org/summer-exhibition-2026