We caught up with the six founding members of nomer collective, a group of artists who met while studying on the City Lit Fine Art (CLFA) course between 2019 and 2023. Since then, they’ve gone on to create exciting exhibitions, public art events, and international residencies. Here, they share their journey, their creative ethos, and how City Lit helped shape their path.
Q&A with nomer collective
Who are the members of nomer collective? Do you plan to expand?
The collective is made up of six founding members:
Katrin Böhm
James Chapman
Mark Engel
Francesca Giuliano
Sabrina Rodrigues
Chris Shurety
We all met while studying on the City Lit Fine Art course. At the moment, we’re focused on establishing our identity and creative output, so we’re not looking to expand just yet.
How did the collective come about?
From the start, there was a natural creative chemistry between us. We collaborated on exhibitions at City Lit that were not only thematically rich but also professionally delivered, thanks in part to the diverse skills we brought from our careers outside the art world.
We genuinely enjoyed engaging with each other’s work and ideas. Our tutorials during the pandemic became a lifeline, helping us stay connected and inspired. Through these sessions, we discovered a shared interest in transforming everyday materials; words, clothing, nature, packaging, into artworks that explore memory, identity, and the ephemeral.
Our first exhibition, Re-imagine, came about through WappArt, a not-for-profit arts space in East London. The success of that show sparked the idea of forming a collective and after many Zoom calls and discussions, nomer was born.
Why form a collective? What are the benefits?
We wanted to maintain the strong bonds we’d built at City Lit and support each other in continuing our artistic development. The course gave us the confidence to define ourselves as artists and to use our skills to organise exhibitions, especially in non-traditional spaces.
Being part of a collective offers many benefits:
A supportive network for feedback and encouragement
A platform to create and curate our own opportunities
A way to pool our diverse skills and bring ambitious ideas to life.
What was your experience like on the City Lit Fine Art Course?
The City Lit Fine Art (CLFA) course was a formative experience for all of us. It brought us together and helped us build lasting relationships with fellow students and tutors, many of whom continue to support our work today.
We were given the freedom to explore and evolve our practices, and the course’s non-traditional approach encouraged experimentation. As mature students, we found that our life and professional experiences enriched our artistic voices and gave us the tools to create our own opportunities.
What projects have you developed so far?
We’ve organised several public art projects and exhibitions, including:
RE-IMAGINE (Feb 2023): A four-day exhibition with WappArt London in a non-traditional art space, exploring the creative reuse of everyday materials.
TRACES (July 2023): A one-day outdoor exhibition at Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park, featuring site-specific works by 20 artists. We managed all aspects of the event, from council permissions to artist support.
Material (Sept 2024): A two-week residency in Kythera, Greece, where we collaborated with local artists using natural materials. The residency culminated in a well-attended exhibition in a traditional Kytherian house.
What’s next for nomer?
We’re currently focused on delivering TRACES 2025, our second outdoor exhibition at Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park.
Saturday 19 July 2025, 1–7pm
Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park
This year’s event has doubled in size, with over 40 artists responding to the park’s rich heritage through painting, sculpture, printmaking, installation, spoken word, music, and performance. Everyone is welcome, we’d love to see you there!
Do you have an online presence?
Yes! You can follow us and our members on Instagram:
Collective: @nomercollective
@chris_shurety
@francesca.giuliano.here
@jameschapman.art
@katrin_a_bohm
@markengel_art
@sabrina.da.rodrigues
Study Fine Art at City Lit
City Lit’s advanced fine art courses blend technical skill-building with concept-driven practice, led by professional artists. Courses foster critical discussion, peer learning, and preparation for public exhibition or professional development.
