“Oblique Arts is an artist led organisation working with communities, to explore their creative potential through high quality visual arts and music projects. We create art, events and exhibitions for positive social change. We use the arts to encourage critical thinking and creative action as well as improve mental wellbeing. We specialise in working with at risk young people and hard to reach communities.”
I met Chris Free, Penny Sobr and Adriana Sandhu, key members of Oblique Arts, to find how the challenging statement of intentions on its website worked out in practice. Chris Free described their workshops:
“Art and music happen at our workshops. They’re a coming together for people to participate and have a sense of creating something together to feel uplifted. It tends to be people who are marginalised out of whatever normal mainstream society is.”
And Chris explained how this creativity dovetailed with critical thinking.
“Once you’ve contributed to a work of art or music or lyric – you can then try something else in that place. And think which is better for the piece as a whole, and why.”
Who they work with
A key part of Oblique Arts’ work is with refugees and asylum seekers. Adriana Sandhu gave me some of the background:
“I’ve known Penny for a long time, and I knew of Oblique Art’s work with vulnerable people, and art for wellbeing. I approached her to see if she wanted to participate in a project I put together with some funding from Anglia Ruskin University, running workshops for migrant and refugee women. We got some funding from Cambridge Refugee Resettlement Campaign, and held some workshops at the hotel in Bar Hill. That’s how the exhibition we had at Anglia Ruskin this year sort of evolved.”
The group’s website devotes an entire section to work with Travelling and Roma communities. “They are the largest ethnic minority in Cambridgeshire and much discriminated against … We believe that we have a remit to include and support this protected cultural group in order to move toward a fairer society for all.”
What they make
Oblique Arts’ output is diverse, as a view of its website readily shows. Much of it, inevitably, is visual art, but documentary, video theatre and music also appear in the mix. And 3D creations as well. The website proudly devotes a page to “Mini Top Hat and Owl Sculptures”. Penny Sobr explained:
“The owl masks were a project commissioned by Cambridge Council during lockdown. They needed creative activities that families could do together at home, using materials from around their house. I designed that owl, which could be made out of a cereal packet or something. And also the top hat fascinator could be made from materials around the house.
They dropped them off at food banks for everyone to take away with them and have a go at making. We also did bulls’ heads. That was more challenging. But you had to think outside the box during lockdown, didn’t you?”
Another collaboration at about that time was with Wild in Art, whose open-air displays of decorated fibreglass models have had seasons in towns all over the country. More recently, says Penny, “I had horses here in Newmarket. Wild in Art do animals all over the country. They were doing the cows in Cambridge, and they wanted some community company to do a few.
“We did one small one with young folks at Abbey People and one in an old people’s care home. Then we did one ourselves, and we made a little installation out of it in an empty shop in the Grafton Centre. They make a trail and everybody goes to see them and read about each individual animal. I think it’s quite effective for bringing people together.”
What it does for people
The group measures its impact in something alongside the works of art it produces. Chris Free told me its best result was when the participants clearly feel empowered and they see them go off and create on their own. He cited J. and A., who had written their own songs together and gone to a studio to record them. They had then made a CD, and played live in their own right at pubs and events – something they had never done before. J., Chris said, had gained such confidence through the art and music workshops that she had then set up her own movement and Pilates workshop class.
When I spoke to Adriana, Chris and Penny, Oblique Arts’ latest adventure was an outreach event at Cambridge’s annual Strawberry Fair. In 2026 the fair was heavily rained upon. But rained on, not rained off. Penny recalled:
“We decorated stencilling on tote bags. And we were in the Geodome. Which unfortunately wasn’t totally waterproof, but we were inundated with families and children, just wanting to have a bag and decorate them, and they really loved and enjoyed it.
“We had a huge range of stencils, and everyone could get quite creative with all these shapes and things. It really encourages creativity. Not everyone can draw, so they love stencils. We had paint, they could go paint crazy with sponges – we went through loads and loads of bags. We were packed the whole time!”
Where to find Oblique Arts
The invitation on the organisation’s Creative Curiosity Walks page runs through its whole philosophy. “Have fun getting creative!” You could try their workshops.
The Cambridge Art Workshops are on Wednesdays, 12:00-14:00 in St Augustine’s Church, Hall and Community Centre, 101 Richmond Rd, Cambridge, CB4 3PS.
Chris Free’s music workshops are in Newmarket on Mondays, 14:30-16:30 at The Racing Centre, Fred Archer Way, Newmarket, CB8 8NT, and in Cambridge on Tuesdays, 13:15-15:15 at The Edge Café, 351 Mill Road, Cambridge, CB1 3DF.
For prices and other booking information you can ring 07950 565799 or write to mail@obliquearts.co.uk
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