2 to 29 October 2026
Level Best Art Gallery, Colchester
This October, the Level Best Art Gallery is delighted to welcome a very special international exhibition, Bridging Dreams, bringing together creativity, inclusion and a connection that reaches all the way from Japan to Colchester.
The exhibition features work from Sakai International Community Arts, an inclusive arts organisation founded in Sakai City, Osaka, in 2019.
Through collaborative art and theatre, international projects and community workshops, the organisation uses creativity to bring people together and explore social issues. Its inclusive theatre group welcomes disabled and non-disabled people to take part, with disabled artists making up the majority of its current members.
And their talents extend far beyond the stage. Members act, dance, paint and create beautiful calligraphy, each bringing their own ideas and creative style to the group.
A dream journey from Japan to Colchester
For many of the artists, travelling overseas is extremely difficult. But that has not stopped them from dreaming about sharing their creativity with people around the world.
Their hope was simple: if they could not easily cross the ocean themselves, perhaps their art could.
That dream has now become a reality, with their work travelling from Japan to the Level Best Art Gallery in Colchester.
The project was originally developed under the working title Japan-UK Inclusive Arts Exchange 2026. As the relationship with Level Best Enterprises grew, however, the group wanted the exhibition to have a name that captured something more personal. Bridging Dreams reflects the friendship and creative connection that has developed between the two organisations, as well as the journey the artwork has made between Japan and the UK.
It is a celebration of what can happen when creativity travels beyond geographical and personal boundaries, giving artists new ways to share their work, experiences and ideas with others.
Creativity without borders
At Level Best, we believe that art can create connections between people who may otherwise never have the opportunity to meet. We are incredibly excited to welcome the work of Sakai International Community Arts to our gallery and to give our Trainees, visitors and wider Colchester community the chance to experience the creativity of artists working thousands of miles away.
The exhibition has been made possible with the generous support of The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation, and we are very grateful for its funding of this special international project.
Bridging Dreams by Sakai International Community Arts will be on display at the Level Best Art Gallery from 2 to 29 October 2026.
Come along and help us welcome a little piece of Sakai City to Colchester.
