Devonshire Collective, Eastbourne
Devonshire Collective, Photoworks, BACKLIT and Aspex announce Tessa Boffin: Where We Touch the Archive, an ambitious national touring exhibition responding to the work of artist and activist Tessa Boffin (1960–1993).
The exhibition will launch at Devonshire Collective on 18 July 2026 before travelling to Nottingham, Brighton and Portsmouth throughout 2026–27.
Tessa Boffin’s practice spanned photography, writing, performance and activism, consistently challenging dominant narratives around gender, sexuality and visibility. Boffin’s work remains urgently relevant to contemporary queer and feminist communities and this project asks what it means to an archive as a generative, collective space.
The tour features work by Tessa Boffin and newly commissioned work from artists Sophie Mak-Schram and Leah McLaine, developed in direct response to Boffin’s images, pedagogy and politics. Both artists and the curatorial team have been immersed in extensive archival research, drawing on collections held by the University for the Creative Arts, The Estate of Tessa Boffin/The Gupta+Singh Archives and Hales Gallery (London and New York).
Exhibition Tour Dates
Devonshire Collective, Eastbourne, UK
18 July – 5 September 2026
BACKLIT Gallery, Nottingham, UK
18 September – 17 October 2026
Part of Photoworks Festival 2026: Un/Stable: Lands, Anxieties, Dreams, Brighton, UK 2 – 18 October 2026
Aspex Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK2 December 2026 – 28 February 2027
This project is co-commissioned by Devonshire Collective, Aspex Portsmouth, BACKLIT and Photoworks. Supported by Jenni Crain Foundation, The National Archives, Paul Mellon Foundation and Arts Council England. With thanks to The Estate of Tessa Boffin/ The Gupta+Singh Archives and Hales, London and New York and University for the Creative Arts Special Collections.
