DDFI40: Rage, Riot and Revolution @ Atrium Space

For over four decades, disabled women in Liverpool and the North West have been powerful agents of change locally, nationally and internationally, reshaping their communities and the way society views disabled people. This exhibition celebrates the achievements of female activists, artists, leaders and champions of disability activism and highlights their essential contributions to both local and global progress.

This exhibition celebrates their resilience, ingenuity, and impact. Through photography, we illuminate their stories as activists fighting for equal rights, as artists reshaping cultural narratives, and as leaders in our communities.

The North West has long been a place for grassroots movements, and disabled women have played a pivotal role in shaping this history. At the heart of this work lies disability culture: a celebration of identity, creativity, and community rooted in the lived experiences of disabled people. Through art, activism, and leadership, these women have amplified their voices, challenged societal norms, and reshaped policies that impact millions. They have rejected the narrative and representation of disability as being negative, and instead embraced it as a source of strength, innovation, and belonging.

Zoe Partington DaDa, CEO, said: “It is the systems that continue to disempower and disable us, not us.”  

Many of these women have engaged in global networks, influencing policy, art, and activism worldwide.

As you explore these photographs and stories, consider the barriers they’ve dismantled and the futures they’ve created to ensure we embrace difference. Their passion, drive and work invites us to reimagine how we perceive ‘disability’ and ‘difference’—not to be seen as pitying, medical or charitable, but as a source of unique perspectives, strength and innovation.

The photographs in this exhibition honour their stories, capturing the resilience, creativity, and vision that have driven profound social and cultural change. They invite you to reflect on how these leaders have not only shaped policy and culture but also built a legacy of empowerment that continues to transform lives. Their influence extends far beyond Liverpool—fuelling international movements for disability justice and inclusion, inspiring a global audience to see disability not as a barrier, but as a powerful perspective.

This is more than a celebration – it’s a call to action. By embracing the values of disability culture, we can all contribute to a more equitable, inclusive future where diverse voices lead the way.

Included in this exhibition are portraits of artists and activists: Ruth Fabby, Kaite O’Reilley, Cheryl Martin, Liz Carr, Mandy Redvers-Rowe, Amina Atiq, Pam Thomas and more.

Venue access

There will be elements of pre-recorded Audio Description available and supporting audio information. An online version of this exhibition will be linked here during the festival.

Jan Williams is an artist and photographer, born in Birkenhead, Wirral, and now based in Portsmouth, UK. After graduating with a degree in Fine Art from Portsmouth, Jan practiced in many places including France where she made collages from found materials. She was represented by Rebecca Hossack Gallery in London before setting up The Caravan Gallery with partner Chris Teasdale in 2000 to focus on photography and taking work outside traditional gallery settings.

Over the subsequent 25 years she has been involved in more than 175 exhibitions in the UK and abroad – including Tokyo – and has earned a reputation as one of the UK’s leading proponents of socially engaged art and photography. The Caravan Gallery’s participatory Pride of Place Projects invite people from all walks of life to contribute to large scale exhibitions exploring local identity, diversity, creativity and community activism.

Jan’s work has gained praise and support from all sectors of the photography world, from Martin Parr and Daniel Meadows to The Photographers Gallery and the Centre for British Photography. She enjoys photographing people (and dogs) in their natural habitat, whether making portraits in Sandwell during Multistory’s Blast! festival, or taking candid shots of people on the streets of Kaunas, Lithuania.

Jan passionately believes in people power and the life enhancing benefits of creativity for all. She initiated the campaign to save Ron’s Place, the visionary art environment created by her late uncle in Birkenhead, so that it can inspire people for years to come. 

DaDaFest International returns 8 – 31 March 2025 to celebrate DaDa’s 40th Anniversary with ‘RAGE: A Quiet Riot’.

DDFI40 will showcase work by disabled artists that captures all shapes and sides of rage. From the internal quiet frustrations and righteous rage, to overt injustice and activism, DDFI40 will explore disability rights, disability arts, access, ableism and ‘Rage’ in an explosion of creativity.