LGBTQIA+ portraits go on display across Merseyrail stations

A new photographic project celebrating Liverpool City Region’s LGBTQIA+ community is now on display across Merseyrail stations throughout Christmas and the New Year.

Residents, created by photographer Ming de Nasty, features portraits and personal reflections from queer people across the region. The project was co-commissioned by Homotopia and Open Eye Gallery as part of Homotopia 2025, the UK’s longest-running LGBTQIA+ arts and culture festival, which took place across the city in November under the theme Uprising.

Ming de Nasty spent four months working with members of the local LGBTQIA+ community, producing the work in partnership with Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, Merseyrail and Sahir House. The project was previously shown outside Open Eye Gallery on Mann Island and has now moved into public spaces across the transport network.

The exhibition is currently on show at 12 stations across Merseyrail’s Northern and Wirral lines, including Moorfields, James Street, Hamilton Square, Birkenhead Central and Rock Ferry, and will remain in place until February 2026.

Residents reflects the long history of LGBTQIA+ people gathering in Liverpool city centre for safety, connection and self-expression. By placing the portraits in everyday public spaces, the project aims to make queer lives visible and celebrate the diversity of identities and generations within the community.

The exhibition also forms part of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority’s Photo Here programme, delivered by Open Eye Gallery. The initiative supports photographers to work with communities across each of the city region’s boroughs, helping people tell their own stories through socially engaged photography.

Ming de Nasty is a portrait and documentary photographer with more than 35 years’ experience, having worked with organisations including IKON Gallery in Birmingham and Factory International in Manchester. Collaboration and participation sit at the centre of her practice.

Homotopia’s interim executive director Sinead Nunes said the exhibition continues the festival’s message of visibility, resilience and empowerment, reclaiming public space for queer voices across the city region.

Bronwyn Andrews, creative producer at Open Eye Gallery, said the project shows queer people existing openly and proudly in the city, sending a message of resilience and pride at a time when LGBTQIA+ communities continue to face cultural and political challenges.

More information can be found via Homotopia’s website.

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