Exhibitions
Ecstasy and the Aftermath
13 Nov 2026 - 11 Apr 2027
Reflecting on how deep connections are formed, broken, remembered and mourned, this exhibition asks whether love ever truly ends.
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What does it mean to love and be loved in return? Reflecting on how deep connections are formed, broken, remembered and mourned, the exhibition asks whether love ever truly ends.
Moving beyond the themes of private desire and heartbreak, the exhibition reframes love as a subversive force for change and a way of building the world anew. Selected artworks address how identity, self-worth and a sense of belonging are negotiated within contemporary culture and society. Works by such artists as Jonathan Baldock, Bex Wade, Somaya Critchlow, Vanessa Raw, Dyana Gravina, Judy Chicago, Marina Abramović and Ulay and Phoebe Boswell give voice and visibility to LGBTQIA+ communities and trans care networks and engage intersectional feminist politics.
Ecstasy and the Aftermath is curated by guest curator Huma Kabakci, in collaboration with Vanessa Tothill, Curator of Transhistorical Narratives at the Sainsbury Centre.
Ecstasy and the Aftermath is part of the Sainsbury Centre’s How Do We Find Love? exhibition season.