Sociology and Criminology news

A powerful new exhibition, We Are Still Here, opens at Gallery North in Hailsham on Saturday 14 February and runs until Saturday 21 March 2026. The free exhibition brings to the heart of East Sussex the creative work and voices of university students from Gaza, offering an urgent and moving reflection on resilience, loss and hope amid ongoing conflict.

The exhibition, presented in partnership with academics from the University of Sussex, is drawn from the recently published anthology We Are Still Here, released by Daraja Press. The book brings together poetry, short stories, essays and personal testimonies written by students in Gaza, documenting their experiences of displacement, disrupted education and daily survival under conditions of violence and blockade.

The anthology was launched through a series of events, including a special online reading hosted by the University of Sussex, where student poets from Gaza shared their work and spoke about writing under occupation and war.

Connecting through art and storytelling

Visitors to the We Are Still Here exhibition will encounter selections of writing from the anthology alongside visual material and creative responses. Sussex-based artists have contributed new works in a range of media, including painting, mixed-material pieces, textiles and music, responding to the students’ words and lived experiences.

An installation from ArtBloc, a Brighton-based mobile art organisation showcasing work by Palestinian artists, is also featured as part of the exhibition.

The exhibition creates a space for reflection and solidarity, inviting audiences to engage with the realities that confront young people whose education and lives have been profoundly disrupted. Copies of the anthology will be on display and available for sale throughout the exhibition.

Further details about the exhibition can be found on the Gallery North exhibition page.

Planning your visit

Gallery North is located in the centre of Hailsham and is open during exhibition periods from 10am to 1pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and 10am to 4pm from Thursday to Saturday. Entry is free.

Hailsham is served by regular bus routes from Eastbourne and Brighton via Lewes, and free parking is available in nearby town centre car parks. Full visitor information is available on the Gallery North visit page.

Supporting students through creativity

All funds raised through sales and donations during the exhibition will directly support university students in Gaza. Donations can be made via the project’s Chuffed fundraising page.

Supporters can also purchase ethical merchandise through the project’s online shop, with profits going to the students.

We Are Still Here offers students, staff and the wider public a meaningful way to connect across cultures, and to consider the role of art and literature in bearing witness to lived experience.

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