24th july - 8th august
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Go Home exhibition: by Practising Empathy in Mirrors
Practising Empathy in Mirrors project founded by Afzal Khan provides an outlet, platform and space that examines the entangled relationships between Muslimness, politics, and spirituality through publishing, design and film.
His latest body of work exhibiting in ‘Go Home’ explores deportation, illegal migration and generational migration, inviting the audience to explore the various forms of migration and step into the narrative and lens of those who go through this experience with the aim of cultivating empathy and our connected togetherness as humans.
Join us in conversation at Go Home exhibition launching Friday 24th July 6-8pm, and open Fridays (1-6pm) and Saturdays (11am-4pm) until 7th August. Book your free ticket here:
42nd Street recognises that mental health is shaped by far more than challenging personal experiences, with social, cultural and economic inequalities having a profound impact on people’s mental health and wellbeing and recently, we have seen the rise in racism faced by young people and staff from various communities.
42nd Street supports around 5500 young people with their mental health each year across Greater Manchester. To ensure we are best able provide support to all the young people who need it, we continue to diversify our workforce, adapt our practice and listen to young people, regularly hearing about the impact of prejudice and discrimination on their mental health. We offer several identity-based spaces that enable young people to feel safe, connect with others, learn from their peers and find their voice, challenge aspects of society and celebrate their culture and each other.
Katrina, psychotherapist and EDI Manager at 42nd Street emphasises the impacts of discrimination and how spaces sharing a diverse range of lived experience are essential: “Discrimination has an adverse impact on young people’s mental health, it can lead to feelings of isolation, low self-esteem, anxiety and depression...discrimination by its nature says to a young person an aspect of your identity is not welcome, accepted or understood, therefore it is important to shine a light on the experiences of young people who face discrimination.”
The Horsfall is our creative space where art, wellbeing, mental health and social change meet and we see the important role art and creativity play as a vehicle for communicating complexity and exploring and challenging preconceived notions of young people - along with identity, culture and religion. We want to encourage art that questions and supports discussion and dialogue that leads to a more understanding of ourselves and each other supporting a society that values everyone.
“Art can make visible experiences that are often overlooked. It can challenge assumptions. It can hold different perspectives alongside one another.” – Rod Kippen, Creativity and Social Action lead.
In December 2025, we received private funding to offer an opportunity to a global majority artist to create a body of work at The Horsfall. We were warmed and inspired with the responses and ideas we received, and young artist Afzal Khan was chosen for the artist-in-residency by our young people’s panel.
Fatma, from The Horsfall creative collective shares:
“Afzal has shed light on one of the most forgotten about communities by highlighting Muslim men’s mental health. Through travelling around the world, he has been able to capture people from many different ethnic groups while reminding us that we are all human first. His work has opened my eyes to how sacred the mosque is for so many people. Through his pictures taken in the mosque, he shows the importance of community, tradition and belonging. He has captured moments that many people don’t get to see, helping bring to light traditions and cultures that have been around for thousands of years.”
Afzal explains that he applied for this artist residency as “it seemed like a brilliant opportunity to develop my practise and it offered something that is becoming increasingly rare: the time, space and support to develop work without the pressure of producing immediate outcomes. As someone whose practice is rooted in research, community conversations and archival material, having the opportunity to slow down and think critically has been invaluable. Residencies like this allow artists to experiment, take risks and create work that wouldn't necessarily be possible within the constraints of everyday life.
The inspiration for the exhibition came from witnessing how migration is discussed almost exclusively through crisis, despite it being one of the oldest and most universal human experiences. I became interested in the contradictions between the hostile political language surrounding migration and the everyday acts of care, resilience and survival that often go unseen. Researching government documents, media imagery and personal testimonies allowed me to bring these different perspectives into conversation with one another.”
If you are interested in supporting our work and a young artist in this opportunity you can donate on just giving or get in touch by email on [email protected].
His latest body of work exhibiting in ‘Go Home’ explores deportation, illegal migration and generational migration, inviting the audience to explore the various forms of migration and step into the narrative and lens of those who go through this experience with the aim of cultivating empathy and our connected togetherness as humans.
Join us in conversation at Go Home exhibition launching Friday 24th July 6-8pm, and open Fridays (1-6pm) and Saturdays (11am-4pm) until 7th August. Book your free ticket here:
42nd Street recognises that mental health is shaped by far more than challenging personal experiences, with social, cultural and economic inequalities having a profound impact on people’s mental health and wellbeing and recently, we have seen the rise in racism faced by young people and staff from various communities.
42nd Street supports around 5500 young people with their mental health each year across Greater Manchester. To ensure we are best able provide support to all the young people who need it, we continue to diversify our workforce, adapt our practice and listen to young people, regularly hearing about the impact of prejudice and discrimination on their mental health. We offer several identity-based spaces that enable young people to feel safe, connect with others, learn from their peers and find their voice, challenge aspects of society and celebrate their culture and each other.
Katrina, psychotherapist and EDI Manager at 42nd Street emphasises the impacts of discrimination and how spaces sharing a diverse range of lived experience are essential: “Discrimination has an adverse impact on young people’s mental health, it can lead to feelings of isolation, low self-esteem, anxiety and depression...discrimination by its nature says to a young person an aspect of your identity is not welcome, accepted or understood, therefore it is important to shine a light on the experiences of young people who face discrimination.”
The Horsfall is our creative space where art, wellbeing, mental health and social change meet and we see the important role art and creativity play as a vehicle for communicating complexity and exploring and challenging preconceived notions of young people - along with identity, culture and religion. We want to encourage art that questions and supports discussion and dialogue that leads to a more understanding of ourselves and each other supporting a society that values everyone.
“Art can make visible experiences that are often overlooked. It can challenge assumptions. It can hold different perspectives alongside one another.” – Rod Kippen, Creativity and Social Action lead.
In December 2025, we received private funding to offer an opportunity to a global majority artist to create a body of work at The Horsfall. We were warmed and inspired with the responses and ideas we received, and young artist Afzal Khan was chosen for the artist-in-residency by our young people’s panel.
Fatma, from The Horsfall creative collective shares:
“Afzal has shed light on one of the most forgotten about communities by highlighting Muslim men’s mental health. Through travelling around the world, he has been able to capture people from many different ethnic groups while reminding us that we are all human first. His work has opened my eyes to how sacred the mosque is for so many people. Through his pictures taken in the mosque, he shows the importance of community, tradition and belonging. He has captured moments that many people don’t get to see, helping bring to light traditions and cultures that have been around for thousands of years.”
Afzal explains that he applied for this artist residency as “it seemed like a brilliant opportunity to develop my practise and it offered something that is becoming increasingly rare: the time, space and support to develop work without the pressure of producing immediate outcomes. As someone whose practice is rooted in research, community conversations and archival material, having the opportunity to slow down and think critically has been invaluable. Residencies like this allow artists to experiment, take risks and create work that wouldn't necessarily be possible within the constraints of everyday life.
The inspiration for the exhibition came from witnessing how migration is discussed almost exclusively through crisis, despite it being one of the oldest and most universal human experiences. I became interested in the contradictions between the hostile political language surrounding migration and the everyday acts of care, resilience and survival that often go unseen. Researching government documents, media imagery and personal testimonies allowed me to bring these different perspectives into conversation with one another.”
If you are interested in supporting our work and a young artist in this opportunity you can donate on just giving or get in touch by email on [email protected].