A new artwork installation by Uruanwa: No rest in the Hive can be seen at HOME's front window - it is commissioned for the 2026 Horizons Festival Programme by HOME and Community Arts North West as part of a series of artist commissions created to support Manchester-based artists with lived experience of displacement to make new work
The art installation reflects migration as an act shaped by sacrifice, endurance, and responsibility.
Urunwa, the artist, says:
“This work reflects migration as an act shaped by sacrifice, endurance, and responsibility. At its centre, the woman moves forward with quiet determination, carrying the unseen weight of survival. The hive in her hands represents constant labour, mirroring the reality many immigrants face long hours, repetition, and the pressure to provide. The bees reinforce this rhythm of unending work, while the honey suggests that even under strain, something sustaining is created, though not always enjoyed by those who produce it.
Beside her, the child reaches upward, caught between dependence and hope. The gesture speaks to both struggle and trust, showing how the next generation carries the outcome of these sacrifices. The child’s expression reflects both innocence and awareness, hinting at a future shaped by effort but still open to possibility. The apples hanging above suggest nourishment and opportunity, but their distance reminds us that these rewards are not easily attained. Butterflies move through the scene as symbols of gradual change, pointing to transformation that takes time but remains possible.
The use of the mat as a surface is intentional. It represents a place of temporary rest rather than permanence, echoing the instability that often defines migrant life. It reflects the experience of constant movement, At the same time, it carries a sense of resilience the idea that even without stability, there is always a place to recover, to continue, and to endure.”
About the artist:
Chidimma Urunwa is a Manchester based painter whose practice is grounded in identity, cultural heritage, and lived experience. She holds a degree in Painting, which has helped shape her technical foundation while allowing her to develop a personal visual language rooted in intuition and storytelling. Working primarily with oil on canvas and mat surfaces, her work moves between surrealist and expressionist approaches, using painting as a space to reflect on memory, women’s histories, and cultural heritage. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally across the UK and abroad, allowing her practice to engage with diverse audiences and contexts. Based in Manchester, Urunwa draws from the city’s cultural diversity as well as her own heritage, allowing both to inform her evolving exploration of self, belonging, and collective history.
