New London Art Exhibition by Shahed Saleem Explores Muslim Life, European History, and Islamophobia

Artist, architect, and academic Shahed Saleem has unveiled a powerful new collection titled 'I Was Born Here' in east London. Displayed beneath a 536-year-old Islamic-inspired Spanish roof, the exhibition features three massive tapestries that connect London’s Muslim communities to centuries of European Islamic history.

Among the works, Saleem incorporates elements from the British Home Office’s 2013 'Hostile Environment' policy, imagery of shoppers in London’s Queen’s Market, and a portrait of Altab Ali, a young Bangladeshi man tragically murdered in a racially motivated attack. The collection addresses rising xenophobia, the electoral success of Reform UK, and recent racist riots in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Commissioned by the Victoria and Albert Museum team in 2024 for the V&A East Storehouse, the exhibition responds to the historic wooden ceiling originating from Torrijos, Spain. Through hundreds of hours of work, Saleem created three main tapestries: 'Home Office', a panel dedicated to Altab Ali alongside a reference to Christopher Columbus and the Santa Maria, and a depiction of a bustling Queen’s Market in Newham alongside local hotels used for asylum seekers.

Historian Tharik Hussain noted that while Europe has historically admired Islamic art, it has frequently marginalized and persecuted its Muslim populations. Visitors like 26-year-old Hana and 25-year-old Imran Haque reflected on how the exhibit speaks to personal histories, anti-migrant sentiment, and the enduring reality of British Muslims who were born in the UK.