The Sainsbury Centre commissioned Ark to develop the identity and exhibition graphics for Heroin Falls, bringing together two extraordinary photographic bodies of work: Graham MacIndoe’s Coming Clean, documenting his own addiction in New York, and Lindokuhle Sobekwa’s Nyaope, capturing the lives of heroin users in Johannesburg.
The challenge was to create an exhibition identity that respected the sensitivity of the subject matter while encouraging visitors to engage with two deeply personal yet universally connected stories.
Rather than focusing on geography or statistics, the identity centred on a shared human experience. Although separated by continents, the two photographic series reveal striking parallels in addiction, isolation and recovery.
The visual identity was intentionally restrained, allowing the photography to remain the focal point while creating a cohesive narrative across the exhibition. Exhibition graphics, interpretation panels and wayfinding were designed to guide visitors through both collections, highlighting the emotional dialogue between the two photographers and reinforcing the exhibition’s central idea—that addiction transcends race, class and location.
The resulting exhibition identity provided a thoughtful and respectful framework for two powerful documentary projects. By creating a calm, cohesive visual language, the design strengthened the connection between MacIndoe’s intimate self-portraits and Sobekwa’s community-led documentary photography, helping visitors navigate an emotionally challenging exhibition while encouraging reflection long after they had left the gallery.
