Thank You For Loving Me, 2022 (commissioned by The London Arts Board)
My brother made this at school (I think it was meant to be a Mother’s Day gift) when he was little. Can’t actually remember how old he was when he did it but it’s been hanging in our kitchen ever since. Putting it up on the Arts Board (with his permission ofc) is my way of thanking him for loving me. It’s my way of thanking him for always protecting me, for backing me up, for gassing me up, for his gentle reassurance whenever my anxiety peaks, for his kindness, for his big hugs, for our chats about mental health, being mixed race, politics, food, relationships etc., for his joyous and determined spirit, for everything. He is the best brother in the world and I ain’t ever gonna stop loving him.
Is there anyone you can thank for loving you? It doesn’t have to be family - I know I’m very blessed to have a brother like mine, and I know not everyone experiences family in the same way that I do. Maybe you can thank a friend or even a stranger, like the bus driver who waits for you at the stop cos they see you running for it, or the man in the corner shop who lets you take the sweets you want even though it turns out you don’t have the change for them. Maybe, it doesn’t have to be a person. You can thank the earth for carrying your weight, the sun for brightening your morning. I think all these moments are instances of love in some kinda way, worthy of our praise and of our thanks.
For text on Thank You For Loving Me by curator Liza Burton, see here