Venice comes to Attenborough Arts Centre with Shape Arts’ landmark exhibition about the Disability Arts Movement

Crip Arte Spazio: The Disability Arts Movement in Venice

Curated by David Hevey/Shape Arts, Designed by Nina Shen

14 February – 11 May 2025

Free Entry

Shape Arts brings its landmark Crip Arte Spazio: The Disability Arts Movement in Venice exhibition to Leicester, fresh from its presentation at the world-renowned Venice Biennale 2024.

The Disability Arts Movement [DAM] aligned art with the fight for rights, broke barriers, and ultimately affected changes in UK law, while making great art about doing so.

Previously on show at the 60th Venice Biennale, the exhibition is a joyous and exuberant celebration of the Disability Arts Movement, showcasing its dynamism, wit, and grandeur.

The exhibition reclaims historical slurs ‘Crip Arte Spazio’ in an unflinching explosion of huge protest banners, cartoon panels, large-scale projected artist films, photography, graphic novels, and campaign merchandise featuring artists Keith Armstrong (supported by the National Disability Movement Archive and Collection), Terence Birch, Tony Heaton OBE, Jameisha Prescod, Abi Palmer, Ker Wallwork, Tanya Raabe-Webber and Jason Wilsher-Mills.

David Hevey, Curator and Creative Director of the exhibition, said: “The scale of this great DAM artshow makes us look up at disabled people in power, rather than down at them in pity. What we have tried to do is re-ignite the sheer exuberance of fighting for something through art - so the DAM is the star of the show, but with several brilliant artists showcased at its heart.”

The title ‘Crip Arte Spazio’, translated as ‘Crip Art Space’, plays on Italian words while reclaiming slurs disabled people have historically and continue to face. Attenborough Arts Centre fully supports the curators, artists and disabled people in the reclamation of these words. We are grateful to the University of Leicester Disability and Equity Action Group [DEAG] who advised on the use of language in the promotion of the exhibition.

The exhibition’s presentation at the Venice Biennale 2024 was the first time that a major exhibition about the UK’s Disability Arts Movement had been presented internationally. Attenborough Arts Centre is proud to be the first UK touring venue for this historically important show.

The project is supported by Arts Council England, British Council, The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Creative Scotland and CREA, Venice.

This exhibition for Attenborough Arts Centre was made possible with Art Fund support.