We’re very good at asking people how they are. Whether we’re quite so good at listening to the answer is another matter.
In the North East, ‘Are you alright?’ is practically a form of punctuation in everyday conversation. A greeting, an acknowledgement, a few words exchanged in passing. Rarely an invitation to tell someone what’s really going on.
But what happens when we take the question at face value?
That’s the starting point for Are You Alright?, an exhibition at Darlington Library Art Gallery which was presented as part of Black History Month in October and the wider Turner on Tees programme. It continues until November 25.
Bringing together nine artists exploring emotional wellbeing, vulnerability, identity and the importance of being heard, the exhibition is the work of Alchemy of Minds, a collective of Black artists and creatives based across the North East.
Through sculpture, visual art and personal reflection, the exhibition considers the feelings people keep to themselves, the effort involved in appearing fine when they aren’t, and what can happen when somebody takes the time to listen.
For exhibiting artist Gbenga Joseph Adeku, the title struck a particular chord.
An upcycle artist, he remembers being puzzled by the greeting when he first arrived in England.
“The first thing was the theme the whole group agreed on was a bit tricky, very direct to what I felt first time arriving in England, because everyone would say, ‘Are you all right?’”
It took some getting used to the fact that the question wasn’t necessarily an invitation to explain how he was feeling.
“But then it’s just a greeting. I’m not supposed to say, ‘I’m fine,’ or ‘I have an headache,’ or ‘I’m cold.’”
That experience became a starting point for his contribution to the exhibition, encouraging him to consider what people choose to reveal about themselves.
“It became a journey of looking inward and finding a way to talk about honesty, reflection and how we present ourselves to others. The work invites honesty with yourself and creates a space where growth can begin.”
Fellow artist Oluwafunke Saka has approached the subject through three works of mixed-media abstract portraiture.
Their titles - I Said I Was Fine, Finding My Way Back and The Weight I Couldn’t Name - suggest a progression from concealed feelings towards something more hopeful.
For Oluwafunke, they also reflect how difficult it can be to admit that things aren’t going well.
“Most people hide their feelings behind that smile, and every time you ask somebody, ‘Are you alright?’ We should also give them grace to be honest with their response, and not just expect the regular, ‘Oh, I am fine.’”
“I want my work to be a mirror to people to see themselves truly and to know that they won’t be judged,” she says.
And once the work is on the gallery walls, she believes the artist has to allow visitors to make their own connections.
Another of the exhibiting artists is Ayo’lamide, whose two contributions are titled Discerning Eyes and The Anointed Lover.
The exhibition comes towards the end of a particularly successful year for the Teesside University graduate, who completed her studies in 2024.
She has exhibited in The Beat Goes On – Graduate Showcase alongside the Turner Prize exhibition at MIMA and also took part in Resilience – Open Call at Hartlepool Art Gallery.
There, she won the public vote, securing a solo exhibition at the gallery in 2027.
“I’m beyond happy and grateful,” she says. “I feel like, finally, I’m being seen. The fact that I’m able to connect with people through my work is an incredible feeling.”
Her forthcoming exhibition, How We Are, will explore themes of community and empathy, although she’s keeping the finer details to herself for now.
“I think we need more of both if we’re going to make our environment a better place,” she says.
That combination of personal expression and a desire to connect with others runs through Are You Alright?, which also features work by Azeez Aromasodun, Feyisola Atere, Oluwasemilore Stephen Ogunsanya, Roselyn Ojo, Oluwapelumi Oluyemi and Oluwafemi Omoboriowo.
Curated by Angela Thomas, the exhibition is about more than individual experiences. It also gives space to Black artists working in the North East, whose voices and perspectives haven’t always been widely represented in the region’s galleries.
“I usually make videos about underrepresented artists here in the North East, and being given this platform for us to showcase our work. In fact, it is overwhelming,” says Oluwafunke.
“I am so happy that finally our voices are being heard, and we have the platform and the opportunity to show our works.”
The exhibition is one part of a much bigger cultural programme unfolding across the Tees Valley.
Turner on Tees was developed to run alongside the Turner Prize 2026 exhibition at Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art (MIMA), which opened at the end of September and continues until March 2027. The winner will be announced on December 10.
While the Turner Prize brings the work of four shortlisted artists to Middlesbrough, Turner on Tees is intended to turn attention towards the artists, organisations and creative communities already working across the region.
Supported by National Lottery funding through Arts Council England, the programme involves venues and organisations in Darlington, Hartlepool, Redcar, Stockton and Middlesbrough, with exhibitions and activities running into early 2027.
For Ayo’lamide, it’s already been a year of new audiences and opportunities. Her experience illustrates how the activity surrounding the Turner Prize can have an impact well beyond the exhibition at MIMA.
And for Alchemy of Minds, the Darlington exhibition offers a chance to bring conversations about Black identity, emotional wellbeing and mutual support into a public gallery.
Gbenga hopes visitors will leave having recognised something in the work, or perhaps considered their own feelings a little more closely.
“I think every artist there is saying something that would connect to someone,” he says.
“This work will bring you to a bit more honesty with yourself and a place of peace where you can actually begin to find a new path to growth.”
Are You Alright? is at Darlington Library Art Gallery until November 25, 2026. The exhibition is presented by Alchemy of Minds and forms part of Turner on Tees.