Processing Trauma in Black Bodies and book launch: The Weight We Carry

An art exhibition that explores racism as embodied trauma. The black body is a site where racism is experienced, stored, and expressed.
About this Event

Well-established research shows:

• racism produces psychological and physical stress
• Trauma can be chronic and cumulative, not just tied to single events

Structural racism increases exposure to trauma and worsens health outcomes.

The artist, Cornelius Browne, engages this theme in a unique monochrome style:

• making invisible trauma visible
• shifting racism from an abstract issue to a felt, bodily experience.

"This is a very powerful exhibition explaining how we manage and exhibit our trauma and experiences. This exhibition should be in every library and NHS facility," - Professor Patrick Vernon.

Mainstream discussions of racism often focus on specific incidents (police violence, discrimination cases). But this art emphasises ongoing, everyday harm that accumulates over time. This reframes racism as not just something that happens but something that is continuously lived.

Challenging how institutions interpret Black suffering:

There’s a strong connection here to critiques of psychology and medicine: Black distress is often misinterpreted or misdiagnosed rather than understood as a response to racism.

The exhibition is explicitly a therapeutic space that provides tools for processing racial trauma.

In contemporary Black and decolonial art:

• Art is not just representation
• It becomes a space for healing, reflection, and reprocessing trauma

This contributes to racism discourse by moving beyond critique toward recovery and agency

centring lived experience, not just theory.

Accessibility Notice: Please note that the exhibition is on the second floor and is accessible only by stairs. Unfortunately, there is no lift or step-free access at this venue, and we are unable to provide a ground-floor viewing alternative. We sincerely apologise for any disappointment this may cause. If you would like digital images or information about the exhibits sent to you via email, please contact us at [email protected]