We Can Always Come Back to This 

Diamond - Hope Kingston

What began as a journey of personal reflection became an encounter with profound history and enduring humanity. Following a turbulent period in her own life, Diamond travelled to Southeast Asia during a time of significant historical reflection—arriving as Khmer New Year concluded in Cambodia and as Vietnam prepared to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Reunification Day on April 30th, marking the end of the Vietnam War and the reunification of North and South Vietnam.
These photographs, captured on both 35mm film and a digital camera, document more than tourist destinations. They reveal the layers of memory that permeate daily life in Cambodia and Vietnam, places where celebration and remembrance exist in constant dialogue with the present.
At the heart of this exhibition are people: street vendors, families, fellow travellers, strangers who all became momentary connections. Each frame captures the warmth and complexity of communities that have survived profound trauma while maintaining their capacity for joy, hospitality, and hope. These are portraits of survival and celebration, of memory preserved and life lived forward.
Through Diamond's lens, we see beyond the historical narratives that often define these places in Western consciousness. Instead, we encounter the texture of contemporary life—the way sunlight falls on faces, the gesture of a hand, the quiet moments between the monumental and the everyday.

Open 11.00 - 18.00 Weds 3rd - Saturday 6th September 2025

FREE ENTRY

Preview evening: 18.00 - 20.30 Tuesday 2nd September