This month, we’d like to highlight two brilliant exhibitions taking place here in Swansea – at the National Waterfront Museum and the Glynn Vivian Gallery.
As a City of Sanctuary, Swansea is proud to be home to both a Museum of Sanctuary and an Art Gallery of Sanctuary, something that very few cities can say! These spaces play an important role in sharing stories, creating dialogue, and celebrating the contributions of people who have moved here from all over the world.
The exhibitions below offer valuable opportunities to learn more about migration, past and present, and to reflect on why being a City of Sanctuary matters so much to many in our community.
Shaping Nations
Tuesday 10th March – Thursday 2nd April 2026, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
More information on the National Waterfront Museum website.
The Shaping Nations exhibition explores the long and rich history of migration to Wales through both historical accounts and personal stories expressed in words and artwork.
The timeline, presented through informative banner displays, begins with the “Red Lady” of Paviland in 31,000 BCE and continues through key moments that have shaped migration into Wales. These include neolithic settlement by farmers from Anatolia from 6,000 BCE; the Roman conquest; 6th century Irish settlement; the Norman invasion; Flemish refugees in Pembrokeshire in the 12th century; the invasion and annexation of Wales by Edward I of England; immigration during the Industrial Revolution; and the arrival of war refugees from Belgium (WW1), the Basque region (Spanish Civil War), and Kindertransport children (WW2). More recent migration includes South Asian communities in the 1950s, Tamil refugees in the 1980s, and people arriving from Syria, Afghanistan and Ukraine.
A book published alongside the exhibition, displayed at the start, shares 60 individual stories of migration to Wales—from as near as England to as far as China – and includes some familiar names from Swansea.
The exhibition also features a wide range of artworks, including the Aberystwyth Friendship Quilt, the Swansea tapestry produced by ILA (Iberians & Latin Americans in Wales), individual paintings from The Gap Wales in Newport, and the Journey’s End installation by Marysia Penn. This striking piece features a red dragon sculpture guarding a hoard of coins, each one representing a personal migration journey through fabric designs and selected words or phrases.
An important aspect of the exhibition is how it normalises migration today – whether related to asylum seekers and refugees or not – by showing it as part of a long historical continuum, and highlighting Wales as a nation shaped by those who have made their home here.
Lives in Motion: Stories of Migration from the 11th Century to the Present Day
Friday 20th March – Sunday 28 June 2026,
10:00 am – 4:30 pm
More information on the Glynn Vivian Gallery website.
Lives in Motion explores the experiences and contributions of people who have moved to Britain from across the world to make the UK their permanent or temporary home. The exhibition explores the varied reasons that people move and how leaving home and finding a new one in a different place presents opportunities and sometimes challenges effecting a person’s sense of personal identity and belonging.
Spanning nearly a thousand years of history, from William the Conqueror to Malala Yousafzai, the exhibition is arranged chronologically with sections exploring royalty, fame and contemporary commissions by the National Portrait Gallery. While the stories are as individual as the people in the portraits, they also highlight the shared lived experiences across time.
Together, these stories invite visitors to reflect on themes of identity, belonging, and the lasting impact of migration on individuals and society.
