Artist who captures life as a migrant in Northampton shortlisted for regional award

Ikran Abdille is one of four talented students to be nominated for the Platform Graduate Award being run by the MK Gallery in Milton Keynes, which could see her win a £2,500 bursary and a year's mentoring scheme to help give her a kick-start in the art business.

The 23-year-old, who lives in Balfor Close with her parents and eight brothers and sisters, uses video and photography footage to capture the feeling many migrants face - of having a dual identity.

Several of her pieces, taken from the folio of work she completed while at the University of Northampton, will be on display at the MK Gallery until October 16.

Miss Abdille said: "The work is about me questioning 'what is home'? What is my relationship to this place how does the culture of the place I'm from fit to the culture of the place I'm in now."

Miss Abdille, captures, what she describes as "normal things" on film - some of which is captured simply on a camera phone.

"I'm filming things like my mum on the phone, my brothers and sisters playing, us talking in the Somalian language," she said.

Some of the work focusses on her time spent visiting family in Kenya.

Miss Abdille, says it is important to talk about the migrant experience through art more than ever in the post-Brexit age.

she said: "You can definitely see there has been a change in people's perceptions (since the referendum).

"People might have always had these feelings, but it's okay to talk about them now."

Miss Abdille's work is on display at the MK Gallery on a Thursday and Friday between noon and 8pm; then on a Saturday, between 11am and 8pm.