Hélène Amouzou: In Between

This summer, Togo-born, Brussels-based photographer Hélène Amouzou will realise a major new site-specific photo installation in the Royal Docks, co-curated by The Line and Arup Phase 2. Working in close collaboration with Praxis, a local charity supporting refugees and migrants, Hélène explores themes of identity, migration and memory. The project, titled In Between will launch on 18th June 2025 as part of the UK-wide Refugee Week.

In Between will see a series of six analogue photographic portraits installed on bespoke display panels close to City Hall in the Royal Docks. The portraits are the outcome of small group artist-led workshops with members of Praxis using objects that create links to the participants’ heritage and place of residence. The Line’s presentation will build on the success of Hélène’s acclaimed solo exhibition at Autograph in 2023. The installation will launch with the artist in conversation with Jean-François Manicom, Senior Curator, London Museum Docklands at the Good Hotel in the Royal Docks.

The Line, which has commissioned the project as part of its 10th anniversary programme, also hosted the artist for a residency that took place in late April 2025. During the residency, Hélène carried out research into the collections held at London Museum Docklands and delivered a series of photographic workshops located at Trinity Buoy Wharf, leading to the development of portraits to be displayed in the public realm.

Praxis participants attended workshops facilitated by The Line and the artist. Using a symbolic object – something that represents them, for example their country of origin or their life in London – the participants created self-portraits with polaroid cameras. During this process, they talked about their chosen objects, enabling a sharing of life experiences. Amouzou then photographed the participants with their objects in a studio setting, using her signature style of overexposure and movement, to create the resulting images. All six photographs on public display are analogue - presented without digital enhancement or alteration.

Audio recordings of the participants will also be available on The Line’s website and Bloomberg Connects App, alongside an online gallery of additional images offering an auditory insight to the striking visual representation of participants and their stories.

Hélène Amouzou was born in Togo, West Africa, in 1969 and has been living in Brussels (Belgium) for the last twenty years. In 2004, she went to study photography and video at the Académie de Dessin et des Arts visuels of Molenbeek-Saint-Jean. Photography has proved to be the medium best suited for her artistic research and technical experiments. She prefers to work with film, which she sees as demanding greater attention to detail. She creates her own distinctive and haunting imagery, which speaks to the contemporary issue of the people in exile and of those invisibilized.

Hélène Amouzou said, “I'm honoured to be working with The Line and Arup to develop this project around subjects that touch me personally: exile, identity, memory and visibility... From Brussels to London, everyone has their own experiences and we'll be sharing them with the members of Praxis. Because it's in the exchange that we'll be able to create the portraits that will be shown in the heart of the Royal Docks.”

Jennifer Greitschus, Head of Cultural Heritage and Exhibitions, Arup said, “It is a great privilege to be co-commissioning Hélène Amouzou whose work has such powerful resonance and relevance in these times. Arup is delighted to be collaborating on this latest of The Line’s Longitudinal Dialogues that take its location on the Greenwich Meridian as a starting point for global cultural exchange.”

Megan Piper, Co-founder and Director, The Line added, “Installed within an avenue of trees adjacent to London’s historic Royal Docks, Hélène’s photographic installation will create an important space for reflection. I’m delighted that this commission has provided an opportunity for us to further our collaboration with Arup Phase 2, London Museum and Praxis and that the work will thoughtfully, and powerfully, respond to its context.”

Gjori Langeland, Head of Communications and Fundraising, Praxis added, “At a time where dehumanising narratives about migrants are all too prevalent, projects like these which give voice to the experiences and memories of people who have migrated are more important than ever. We are so excited that our group members have the opportunity to collaborate with and learn from such a talented and creative artist as Hélène.”

Deputy Mayor for Culture and the Creative Industries, Justine Simons OBE said: “This powerful work by Hélène Amouzou is the latest addition to The Line coinciding with Refugee Week. A picture can reveal a thousand words and these distinctive images reflect on the journey of those who have made the East End their home and will resonate with so many people who have settled in London. Our diversity is our greatest strength and this new commission will celebrate that, as we continue to build a better London for everyone.”

Kate Anderson, Head of the Cultural Programme and Partnerships, Royal Docks Team says, “This new artwork by Hélène represents the local people of East London in a beautiful and breathtaking way, connecting with the Docks’ history as a key place of arrival for people from around the world, forging the East End’s incredible diversity we still see today. Hélène’s piece will be situated across from City Hall, echoing the Mayor of London and Mayor of Newham’s welcome to, and celebration of, refugee and migrant communities across London. It embodies the authentic, socially-engaged art-making at the heart of the Royal Docks’ Cultural Strategy.”



The Line
The Line, ‘London’s ground-breaking public art trail’ (Financial Times) celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. Connecting Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and The O2, following the waterways and the line of the Greenwich Meridian. Its outdoor exhibition programme offers a journey through a dynamic urban landscape where everyone can explore art, nature and heritage for free. The Line was co-founded in 2015 by its director Megan Piper, and the late regeneration expert Clive Dutton OBE (1953–2015) whose life’s work was rooted in a commitment to improving the quality of life for people in urban environments. The project was established to democratise access to art by introducing sculptures that were previously hidden from public view into the public realm for audiences to experience for free.

The Line currently includes art installations by: Larry Achiampong, Alex Chinneck, Helen Cammock, Serge Attukwei Clottey, Simon Faithfull, Abigail Fallis, Laura Ford, Madge Gill, Antony Gormley, Ron Haselden, Carsten Holler, Gary Hume, Anish Kapoor, Virginia Overton, Eva Rothschild, Thomson & Craighead, and Richard Wilson.

Arup Phase 2
Phase 2 is a cultural programme at Arup which explores the intersection of art, design and engineering. In keeping with the ethos of Arup, the programme has cross-disciplinary collaboration at its heart as well as the showcasing of stories from Arup’s rich cultural history.

Praxis
Praxis is a human rights organisation that has been supporting people marginalised by their immigration status since 1983. They do this through immigration advice and welfare support, building solidarity and community, providing training and capacity building, and campaigning for change, so that everyone can live with dignity and respect, no matter where they come from.


London Museum Docklands
London Museum Docklands is located at West India Quay in east London. Opened in 2003, it occupies one of the few remaining original grade one listed warehouses, built in 1802 to store produce from the West Indies.     
 A shared place in the heart of the East End, where stories cross and collide, it confidently shows how international trade, migration, enslavement and the river Thames were integral to shaping London and the world we live in today.   
 The museum is open 7 days a week, from 10am-5pm and is FREE to all. You can explore the London Museum with collections online – home to 138,000 objects with more being added regularly.

Royal Docks
The Royal Docks Team is a joint initiative between the Mayor of London and the Mayor of Newham. Inspired by its diverse communities, rich heritage, and iconic landscape, the Royal Docks aims to become ‘London’s Cultural Engine’ – an innovative ideas factory and creative production centre that will build and nourish a vibrant world-class cultural hub and a local scene for arts, heritage, culture, and creativity that is open to all.