12th May - 10th July 2022

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Curated by Joy Yamusangie and Ronan Mckenzie

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Abena Appiah, Alfie Kungu, Cece Philips, Claudette Johnson, Emma Prempeh, Jazz Grant, Joy Yamusangie, Latoya Okuneye, Phoebe Boswell, Ronan Mckenzie, Sadé Mica, Sola Olulode, Tanoa Sasrako, Toby Cato, Tonique Adacia Sewell. 

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I first messaged Joy on 9th September 2017, on 14th September I said I was a huge fan. They told me their girlfriend had come to one of my exhibitions and got them hooked on my work. On 8th November I asked if they wanted to go for a coffee, we met up on 17th. Then on Friday 15th December we went to the Barbican and drew people. Fast forward to a few weeks ago, I got a figure from Joy’s Blue Glass Fortunes tattooed on my neck, and on my left hand, “I just thought about my life, has it been mine and I just… I want to feel good now.” from their current show Feeling Good, so that in moments of needing to find clarity, or soothing, the warmth of Joy’s friendship fills my soul and re-centres me.

To feel cared for, to feel the comfort of one’s tenderness, and to extend that outwards is to open one’s heart, soul, and spirit to sharing the heights of our happiness, and the instability of our uncertainty, to breathe heavily at the end of a phone line knowing we will be collected, held, and supported at the other end. To be open to finding intimacy is to be open to finding disappointment, to navigate difficult conversations because no matter how challenging, it’s easier than accepting the loss of that person without trying. To bathe in the heat of a laugh so deep it fills the atmosphere with a tang so infectious that together even years later, we can so easily tap back into that moment shared with one that we love in the cushioned hammock of our bond. To accept the respect, trust, responsibility,  knowledge, care and commitment - as described by bell hooks - needed to accept one’s love we must find within ourselves the sunshine that our loved ones so easily see.

In continuation of our ongoing exploration of, love for, search of, enjoyment of, and need to express, and present alike, our devotion to each other, and the tranquillity, stability, and acceptance found within our community, On Love is a response to the indescribable feeling of holding, and being held. We thank you for sharing this space with us, in celebration of caring for one another.