art exhibition

THE BODY AND I Exhibition

16 February – 5 April 2022

Keele University

Social media can cause all sorts of problems can’t it?  But it can also allow you to reach out to people you’d never meet in real life (especially when you’re disabled), and vice versa. Prea Kaur is a Phd student at Keele Uni and a few months ago I saw her call out for ‘bodies’ to be photographed for her exhibition. I couldn’t take part as with shielding from Covid and distance made it very difficult, but a few days later Prea contacted me as she saw some of my art on instagram. 

I don’t share some of the art I create. Not because it’s personal and I want to keep it hidden, it’s more to do with the ‘Medusa Problem‘ – that seeing it, might offend or upset you so much, you could turn to stone. 

Prea wanted all of my ‘hidden art’ for her show. 

I think this is a subject I’ll come back to time and time again, women, bodies, expectations, perfection, ideals. Fat, thin. Mental health. Disability – Because it’s my lived experience. 

The Body and I exhibition examines and explores body negativity and positivity as well as the minds relationship to bodies and food. The accumulation of voices helps address the concerns faced by many people who find they are at war with their bodies, because they do not look like the models and personalities that saturate social media, advertisements, and glossy magazines.

This exhibition encompasses mixed media, including photography, art and the written word. It marks the celebration of diverse bodies, acknowledges insecurities and focuses on power over fear.

Curated by Prea G Kaur an Indian British poet undertaking her PhD in Creative Writing at Keele University. She is currently exploring generational trauma and the Indian diaspora in England. Like many others, the pandemic made Prea realise that she was far from being content. Prea believes that if there had been more awareness surrounding our bodies while growing up, and a better understanding of the fact that our minds can hurt just as much, and if not more, than any open wound, perhaps she wouldn’t have developed an eating disorder, or would have recovered sooner.

The Body and I is an exhibition that shares stories of struggle, resilience, and power against our own darkest thoughts. Prea worked alongside the photographer Adina Lawrence. Adina is a Black British portrait photographer who enjoys implementing a fantasy-like feel to create flamboyant, conspicuous, and stimulating images.