New exhibition celebrates emerging talent - Assembly 2026: What Grows in Between
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What Grows in Between opens this summer at The New Art Gallery Walsall, bringing together newly commissioned work by three emerging artists from the Black Country. The exhibition runs from 10 July to 11 October 2026.
Part of the annual Assembly exhibition programme, delivered in partnership with arts organisation Multistory, the exhibition provides a platform for artists to experiment, develop their practice and create ambitious new work. This year's exhibition features artists Dan Booth, Abraham Babajide Cole and Hannah Rollason, whose work explores themes of connection, transformation and how we navigate uncertain times through painting, sculpture and installation.
Assembly was established through Multistory's artist development programme and continues to champion emerging creative talent from across the Black Country.
“ The New Art Gallery Walsall has a long-standing commitment to supporting artists at every stage of their careers, and What Grows in Between demonstrates the incredible creative talent that exists within our region. This exhibition offers visitors the opportunity to engage with new perspectives on identity, community, ecology and belonging through the work of three exciting contemporary artists. “
Dan Booth uses figurative painting to explore place, memory, masculinity and class. Drawing on autobiography and observations of everyday life, his paintings often feature recurring figures and social rituals that examine themes of belonging, alienation and community. For this exhibition, Booth's work reflects on family life, fatherhood and public spaces, where tenderness and uncertainty coexist.
Abraham Babajide Cole is a visual artist whose multidisciplinary practice investigates migration, identity and cultural heritage. His new sculptural work, Elsewhere Has Entered the Body, considers the body as a vessel shaped by memory and experience. Working with materials including clay, charcoal and beeswax, Cole explores transformation, movement and humanity's connection to the natural world.
Artist and educator Hannah Rollason explores the relationship between ecology, knowledge production and civic participation. Through large-scale installation and multimedia work, she examines the connections and tensions between human and natural systems. Inspired by concepts such as plant networks and the rhizome, her practice proposes new ways of understanding learning, collaboration and our shared future.
“ Assembly provides artists with the time, space and support to take creative risks and develop new work. We're delighted to continue our partnership with The New Art Gallery Walsall and to present these exciting new commissions from three artists whose practices speak powerfully to the challenges and possibilities of contemporary life. “
The What Grows in Between exhibition opens with a public preview on Thursday 9 July 2026 and will be accompanied by an in-conversation event with the artists on Saturday 26 September 2026, offering visitors a deeper insight into the ideas and processes behind the work. The event and exhibition are both free, bookings for the in-conversation event can be made at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1992910611286?aff=oddtdtcreator
For more information about upcoming exhibitions, visit The New Art Gallery Walsall website.
Hannah Rollason, Within this framework, 2026, print and intaglio. Courtesy the artist
Dan Booth, City of Culture, 2026, collage on photopolymer print. Courtesy the artist
Abraham Babajide Cole, Elsewhere Has Entered the Body, (detail), 2026, terracotta. Courtesy the artist
Abraham Babajide Cole, Elsewhere Has Entered the Body, (detail), 2026, terracotta. Courtesy the artist
