Love has long been imagined in terms of union and rupture, or transformation and longing – reflected in mythology, alchemy and contemporary rituals. Ecstasy and the Aftermath reconsiders love beyond romantic clichés, exploring it through the lens of kinship and mourning, and as a strategy of survival and act of resistance.

The exhibition brings together artists who engage with global histories, queer ecologies, and feminist politics. Structured as a series of ‘ritual chambers,’ the exhibition explores desire, ecstasy and the traces that remain in love’s aftermath. Timed for the winter season, where natural cycles of loss, fertility and renewal echo love’s own, this exhibition explores love as both a wounding and a world-building force.

Ecstasy and the Aftermath is curated by guest curator Huma Kabakci, in collaboration with Vanessa Tothill, Curator of Transhistorical Narratives at the Sainsbury Centre. This exhibition forms part of the Sainsbury Centre's How Do We Find Love? season.