Serendipity Institute for Black Arts and Heritage has curated a special exhibition to celebrate the work and legacy of the online and print magazine, gal-dem.

The exhibition is free to visit at Leicester Gallery (De Montfort University), 1 October 2024 – 4 January 2025.

gal-dem published for Black women and marginalised genders, and ensured there was a platform for them.  The magazine was founded by Liv Little in 2015.  She felt that Black women needed their own feminist space, which is not provided within mainstream feminism.  gal-dem sought to create the feminist space for Black women and nothing was off-limits for discussion.  The humorous and frank writing from the gal-dem team explored a range of subjects and issues pertinent to their audience.

In March 2023, gal-dem had made the difficult decision to close due to financial reasons.  As they prepared to close, gal-dem donated their print magazines and merchandise to the Living Archive.  The Living Archive is cared for by Serendipity Institute for Black Arts and Heritage, which is based in Leicester.  The development of the Living Archive is a part of the project, Unearthed: Forgotten Histories, funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The Living Archive is ensuring the legacy of gal-dem continues.  Visitors to the archive can view the gal-dem collection and still benefit from the platform gal-dem provided for Black women and those of marginalised genders.  The Living Archive is not only a repository for physical material.  At its centre, the Living Archive’s ethos is to interpret and reinterpret material, in forms such as visual art, creative writing and informing academic research.  Archive collections are continually given a new life and will contribute to the present and future, instead of remaining as a piece of the past.

For further information, please call 0116 482 1394 or email info@serendipity-uk.com or follow @SerendipityInfo on X, @SerendipityInstituteUK on Facebook or Instagram.