Differently Various
The Street Gallery, Ground floor, University College Hospital, 235 Euston Road NW1 2BU
15th March - 2nd May 2024
UCLH Arts & Heritage are pleased to welcome artists from Headway East London to UCLH in this colourful and exciting exhibition.
The exhibition aims to share different perspectives and encourage open conversations about brain injury through the art of people living with the condition. Following on from its successful run at The Curve Gallery, in the Barbican, the exhibition will now tour 4 sites within the boroughs that Headway East London serves - including Shoreditch Library in Hackney, Applecart Arts in East Ham and Westminster City Hall.
The exhibition at UCLH features black and white artworks about brain injury by Brian Searle, Luke Shepherd, Chris Miller, and Sam Jevon, juxtaposed with a graphic vinyl installation of bright and energetic figures by Jason Perry. A selection of sculptures from the ‘Handful of Clay’ series created by the extended Headway community from 200 grams of clay is also on display.
About Headway East London
Headway East London is a charity based in Hackney that supports over 800 people affected by brain injury across 13 London boroughs. The charity has been transforming the lives of people living with brain injury for over 25 years, and has grown into an empowering and creative community for brain injury survivors. More information about their services can be found on their website here.
The gallery can be accessed through the main entrance of University College Hospital, 235 Euston Road, London, NW1 2BU.
There is ramped access and manual doors situated next to the revolving entrance. For detailed accessibility information, please visit AccessAble. The exhibition space tends to be quieter during the weekend.
Artist Spotlight: Mike Poole
Mike Poole has been a member of Headway East London since 2016.
He used to work in graphic design and became an art director, but had to stop working after a stroke in 2015.
“My 31-year long graphic design career ended overnight. I awoke on February 14th 2015 unable to use or feel my left side. Rushed into UCLH, I was told I’d suffered a right sided stroke.”
Mike received treatment for his stroke at UCLH at Euston Road and Queen Square.
“I was at Euston Road for 8 months, then moved to Queen Square for rehabilitation. I was in a wheelchair for 4 months. The week before I left I learnt to walk again. I returned home in October thinking my creative days were gone.”
“In 2016, I started coming to Headway East London one day a week, and discovered the joy of painting in their Submit to Love studio. I love the way we help and encourage each other to discover our own artistic expression."
“I spent 31 years working as an art director but only became an artist when I joined Submit to Love. What Headway has done is given me a life after brain injury, which I will always be grateful for.”
Part of the Steering Group that co-produced the 'differently various' exhibition in 2023, his artwork Somewhere on the Spectrum oil painting series was displayed at the Barbican, and is showcased at UCLH.
“I think that most people - probably like I did before it happened to me - think that people that have had brain injuries live a fairly solitary, uncreative life. That’s not been my experience. In fact, if anything, going to Headway has brought out my creativity in a way that I didn’t already know existed.”
“I hope that people will be able to see that within this exhibition - that life isn’t over when you’ve had a brain injury. And for me, it’s a way of saying thank you to the hospital and NHS staff for all the care I received.”
For more information or to share feedback, contact the UCLH Arts & Heritage team on uclh.