We are delighted to share that Izzy Dabiri and Victoria Lungu have been selected as the commissioned artists for Hamara Playgroup following an open call for applications earlier this year.
Hamara Playgroup is part of Yorkshire Contemporary’s Inside Out programme, focused on supporting creative play for children and families in Beeston and Beeston Hill. It forms part of the organisation’s artistic strategy of supporting continuous play, curiosity and creativity for people from all walks and stages of life.
Both artists will design and deliver weekly creative play sessions for 0-5 year olds and their grown ups at Hamara Healthy Living Centre in Beeston Hill. Victoria Lungu’s commission, The Play, Make and Create Project starts on Wednesday 10 Sept 2025 and runs until March 2026. Izzy Dabiri’s will take place from April–December 2026.
Congratulations to Victoria and Izzy!
Izzy Dabiri is an artist and educator based in South Yorkshire. She predominantly works with textiles, sound and in community engagement, often drawing on her background in theatre. Working in and with communities is fundamental to Izzy’s practice, reflecting on her experience of accessing creativity and creative education, she believes everyone should be supported to express themselves. Through her work, she aims to create spaces that are care-filled, generative and that allow for self-expression and connection. Her experiences as a parent, artist and in her intergenerational family projects have taught her the value of play and the exciting possibilities that can happen when we make meaningful space for it. For this commission, Izzy aims to develop a soft space for families to ‘land’. Through incorporating music, she’ll create a creative space to come together to play.
Victoria Lungu primarily works alongside very young children, encouraging them to be curious and creative. Her practice is inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach, which holds children, their ideas and intrigue, at the very centre of all they do. Driven by a desire to make beautiful spaces for families to enjoy together which offer opportunities for open-ended play and exploring, she founded The Play Tent in 2023. As a pop-up art and play offering, The Play Tent holds regular sessions at Leeds Art Gallery, Belgrave Music Hall, SCRAP and Project House. This year Victoria has now taken on a more permanent home in Headingley called The Play Tent Studio. As part of her commission for the Hamara Playgroup, Victoria brings ideas from The Play Tent to Beeston Hill for The play, make and create project.
Image credits left to right:
1. Izzy Dabiri, Image courtesy of the Artist
2. Victoria Lungu, The Play Tent, Leeds Art Gallery, April 2025.