Sahra Hersi Selects is a display co-curated for the Why We Make galleries at V&A East Museum, part of a rotating series inviting creative practitioners to narrate their influences and journeys through objects. The display is among the first in the series, opening as part of the museum's inaugural season.

The selection brings together objects that speak to community, collective making, materiality, and art as a political act. Among them are Ottoman tiles, ancient Greek stones from a trip to Athens that sparked an enduring interest in stone and granite, ceramic pieces from a Nigerian collective, a poster by William Morris, the See Red Women's Workshop poster Bite the Hand That Feeds You, and work by Peggy Angus. Alongside these sit pieces from Hersi’s own practice, including Wayfinding to Our Memories, a project based in Kent.

The display traces a thread between makers and movements who understood that design can carry a message, that art can hold a stance, and that making can be an act of social awareness, of solidarity, and of care. It is also a homage to east London itself, where the practice has its roots. A foundation course at Newham College in 2007 opened up the idea of being an architect, a designer, and an artist at once. A studio at Old Manor Park Library and time spent with Rabbits Road Press introduced risograph printing, which has remained part of the practice ever since.

The display includes an introduction panel, object labels, and an accompanying audio piece, developed in collaboration with the V&A East Interpretation and Curatorial team. Sahra Hersi Selects is on view at V&A East Museum until October 2026.