What happens when the excitement, happiness, and comfort of romantic love have departed, leaving a trail of emotional devastation in their wake? 

What does it mean to suffer from a broken heart? 

The answer to this seemingly simple question is much more complex than we might imagine, and changes substantially over time and space. After Love: Broken Hearts & Broken Bodies is a group exhibition which invited artists to share their creative responses to the experience of romantic heartbreak, relationship breakdown, and survival strategies in the aftermath of romantic endings.

Both emerging and established artists were encouraged to submit works into this radically inclusive exhibition where all eligible works are shown - reflecting the ubiquity of heartbreak as an emotionally devastating experience which can affect us all across age, experience, and background. 

This exhibition is part of a major project by historian Dr Sally Holloway, which charts the evolution of romantic heartbreak as an embodied emotional experience over four centuries of history.

Funded by a Research, Development and Engagement Fellowship from the Arts & Humanities Research Council, the project partners with a range of organisations including Oxfordshire Mind; the Oxford Visual Arts Development Agency (OVADA); the visual artists Jill Mueller and Julie Light, and the Poetry Pharmacy. Ultimately, After Love urges us to think critically and creatively about what it means to be broken hearted in the modern age.