Remembrance as Resistance – online exhibition
The work of people from racialised communities with lived experience of mental health distress has often been undocumented. Emphasis is often placed on our pain and suffering, but we also know the joy we feel as Black people and People of Colour from connecting with our communities. We didn’t just inherit suffering from our ancestors, but resilience and joy. We want to acknowledge, honour and celebrate what has come before, envisioning ‘remembrance as resistance’.
As part of our Remembrance As Resistance and Community Responses to Mental Health Workstreams, we have commissioned short creative pieces which we have brought together to form this online exhibition. As a whole, these pieces of work showcase the range of abolitionary approaches in this area. (By abolitionary, we mean the building of alternatives – rather than reforming – of punitive, oppressive, violent and/or carceral systems, institutions, and practice. And how this sparks new possibilities, questions, and pathways towards change and liberation for racialised people). See our page on language for more information.
These pieces explore the artists lived experiences as well as community-led approaches to racial justice and mental health. In addition, the collection of works also explores the histories of liberation work and the lived experiences of those living at the intersection of mental health and racial inequality. Remembrance as Resistance acknowledges, honours, and celebrates what has come before, in order to create visions for a liberated future through abolition.
You deserve it all
by Vivienne Uchebuaku Isebor ‘You Deserve It All’ is a love letter to self in…
What me?
by Gloria Birdsall, she/her I was raised in the 60’s. As a child, I then…
Set(dv)
by Aria Danaparamita, they/them This work excavates my conflict with legibility. As a global south…
Black Dog with Red Eye
by Rebecca Buckley Rebecca Buckley is a creative researcher, writer, visual artist and community art facilitator….
Taken
by Rebecca Buckley Rebecca Buckley is a creative researcher, writer, visual artist and community art facilitator….
Joy as Resistance
by Pearl Makayi, she/her This short film captures the resilience and strength through the combination…
Letter to my White Therapist
And all White people with Good Intentions by Eve Xin, they/them Drawing from personal experience…
Defiance
by Lalli, she/her This piece is a visual depiction of joy as resistance. I faced…
Belonging and Inclusion
by Erica B Donaldson-Ellison Erica is a published author and poet. In this piece she…
What we talk about when we talk about abolition
by Dr Tulika Jha, She/her The word ‘abolition’ elicits a visceral response which is why…
Photo Voice
by Sunil (Sonny) Thaker Sonny Thaker is a Counselling Psychologist in training, a facilitator, and…
Joy
by Esther Stanton Bene Black disabled intersectional poetess Mom and sister, Creative mind finding Joy in Resistance Note…
Ecologies of Care
by Lydia Rose Ecologies of Care portrays the richness of an abolitionist society in which…
Dove
by Naala, she/her This piece of original music is based on mental health and personal…
Chaotic Moments
by Amy Grant, She/her My love letter to the world. I want to be remembered…
Burning Breath
by Jerome Sewell, he/him Burning Breath is a reflective peice of poetry that brings together…
Bless the heads of a thousand colonial soldiers
by Ava Riby-Williams, she/they Instagram: @avazarah This piece centres Tantric Goddess Kali wearing a garland…
(Neo)colonial pathologies survival, resistance and change
by O S King, she/they This piece asks a series of questions. How do we…
Justice for the Windrush Generation
by Zita Holbourne As an artist and campaigner , my practices are closely interlinked, I…
Stop the Rwanda Plan
by Zita Holbourne As an artist and campaigner , my practices are closely interlinked, I…