Nigerian multidisciplinary artist and creative director, Ijeoma Okochi-Agwu, has unveiled a powerful new exhibition titled Portraits of Pain, using photography to highlight the often overlooked struggles of people living with sickle cell disease.

The black-and-white series, first exhibited at Imperial College London and later at the Black Cultural Archives (BCA) in Brixton, South London, presents an unflinching look at the condition, which remains largely invisible despite its debilitating impact.

Conceived by her sister, June Okochi, and creatively directed by Okochi-Agwu, the project departs from traditional medical narratives by placing lived experiences and emotions at the centre. Subjects are photographed barefaced and unposed, their quiet expressions revealing stories of fatigue, resilience, and defiance.

“We don’t talk enough about what it means to be visibly healthy and invisibly suffering,” Okochi-Agwu said. “This project was my way of giving dignity back to those silenced by invisibility.”

At Imperial College, the exhibition opened conversations between medical researchers, students, and the public, offering an artistic lens into healthcare discourse. Its showing at the BCA situated the work within wider conversations on identity, race, and systemic neglect in communities of African and Caribbean descent.

With Portraits of Pain, Okochi-Agwu has strengthened her reputation as a socially engaged artist working under her creative brand Eejiomah. She continues to explore the intersections of art, health, and advocacy, while using storytelling as a tool to amplify marginalised voices.
Critics and advocacy groups have already taken notice of the project, describing it as a radical yet empathetic intervention that forces society to confront the realities of invisible illnesses.

For more on Ijeoma Okochi-Agwu and her work, visit https://www.eejiomah.com/.