Ecstasy and the Aftermath
13 November 2026 - 11 April 2027Our new Universal Ticket allows access to our entire gallery. This ticket operates on a ‘Pay If and What You Can’ basis. Upon arrival, please go to gallery reception where our universal ticket is available. No pre-booking necessary. If you would like to make a Group Booking or have additional access needs, please contact us on scva@uea.ac.uk or 01603 593199
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.
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Image: Ithell Colquhoun, The Tree of Veins, 1940-41. Copyright of the artist. Courtesy: Tate
Ithell Colquhoun, The Tree of Veins, 1940-41. Copyright of the artist. Courtesy: Tate