Powerful Exhibition: Processing Trauma in Black Bodies at White City Warehouse
- Caro Sika
- Oct 7, 2024
- 4 min read
Updated: Oct 28, 2024
I had the immense pleasure to view Cornelius Toks Browne exhibition "Processing Trauma, Black Bodies", currently taking place at White City Warehouse, 62 Wood Lane, White City, London, W12 7TH throughout Black History Month, until 31st October 2024.
Cornelius Browne is celebrated for his unique mono chromemark-making genre. His artwork is abstract and intuitive, chrome intensifying colours to give it depth and intensity, whilst mark-making allows him to remain creative and experimental with lines, marks, dots and patterns produced on the artwork, bringing to mind late American painter Jackson Pollock, a major figure in the Abstract Expressionist movement.
Although Cornelius studied Art at the University of Benin, Nigeria, specialising in Graphic Design and worked in advertising as a Visualiser and Art Director in the early 1980s, his passion for art was born out of a need to process trauma and externalise it. "In my early years, I had to find ways of surviving the trauma of not having my biological parents around until I was 8. Obsessive engagement with the visual arts did it for me. I use the term self-medicate retrospectively because at the time I had no idea I was using art as an antidepressant" reveals the artist in his *bio (1). This self-discovery process fully unfolded in 1987 when Cornelius started meditating using art which totally changed the trajectory of his art practice. As he taught the techniques in workshops, he witnessed people, who had been relying on antidepressants, experience instant recovery as they used some of the art techniques taught in his workshops. Cornelius further explains "This was preceded by a personal experience of recovery from a depressive episode while intentionally using a collage activity as an intervention". From this discovery, the brand name of the art therapy genre was birthed ‘Adumaadan’, which is a Yoruba word meaning ‘Black Man/Woman thrive and shine’. It explores the efficacy of art and culture in delivering Public Health coupled with a therapeutic space enabling the processing of racial trauma. We can then understand how engaging with Art Therapy in the community would lead to the powerful exhibition available to see at White City Warehouse throughout the month.
The exhibition "Processing Trauma in Black Bodies" is the outcome of a project for *Creating Healthy Communities Digital Badge Program of the University of Florida Centre for Arts in Medicine (2). It goes further in addressing the collective experience of trauma in Black communities as trauma can be very insidious. In his Intro about the exhibition, the artist educates us on what is referred as vicarious re-traumatisation, which occurs for instance when a person of African Caribbean descent watches a periodic movie on slavery e.g. ‘12 Years a Slave’ by Steve MacQueen etc. or during History lessons that reference slavery and other aspects of the traumatic experiences of the African diaspora.
Harvard PTSD Quarterly 2021 quotes in regard to Vicarious re-traumatisation, “Traumatization may occur at a community level as well. In a population-based, quasi-experimental study, Bor et al., (2018) found that highly publicised police killings of unarmed Black people had spillover effects on the mental health of Black people in the region where the killing happened. The impact was felt for months afterwards, whereas no ill effects were found for White people in those same localities. It is thought that the cultural legacy of state-inflicted oppression is a contributing factor leading to poor community health through vicarious retraumatization”. This statement totally resonates with me as I find that I always consciously refuse to watch violent episodes relayed on social media or mainstream media, dehumanising Black people. My mind and spirit refuse to see it, absorb it, as the feeling I associate with doing so would be self-destructive. The artist goes on stating "Adequate support is however not provided for young people, adolescents and adults who find themselves in these psychologically challenging scenarios." These are the vacuums and gaps the exhibition and artwork seek to address, creating "impactful life-changing images that will meet your gaze and mind management tools [..] available in the therapeutic space to help fill the vacuum of these unmet needs."
It is also important to note that Cornelius Browne partners with his wife, a consultant psychiatrist, and together they are co-founders of the Mind Café, a Mental Health Service with an innovative approach to contemporary medicine. Dr. Christiana Browne also is the clinical lead at Art Practice Adumaadan and has invaluable lived experience as a member of the black community and as a professional in the NHS and private sector for over 30 years. They further explain on their site "When we fall ill mentally or physically and receive treatment, unprocessed trauma might be the reason why our recovery is prolonged. It becomes a management problem. For example in mental illness, despite the treatment with medication, or even psychosocial interventions, the illness may seem resistant to treatment....For the black community, who repeatedly experience racial trauma directly or vicariously to enjoy early and good recovery, part of the treatment should include the processing of micro and macro aggression."
I have to say that the exhibition is amazingly holistic in ways I cannot fathom. Being in that space for an hour seems to balance and harmonise my inner being. I am left wondering ... Did I connect with a greater reality, a greater self, the very life form of the dark matter constituting the universe from which life originates? I haven't got the answer as yet but make sure to go to the exhibition and share your own thoughts in the comment section. Would love to have your take on it.
In conclusion, I would say that Cornelius Browne's artistic expression is powerful and holistic. In the same way that art was a source of solace and empowerment for young Cornelius, faced with adversity from a tender age, White City Warehouse Art Gallery becomes a sheltering and nurturing environment inviting all viewers to a collective healing experience and a visually delightful encounter.
Highly recommended. Book your place below and see the reel of the exhibition.
Source
(1) About Me www.adumaadan.co.uk
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