Exhibition: How Do I Make You Feel?’ Solo Art Exhibition by Michelle Baharier

Maya Angelou said: “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Michelle Baharier’s exhibition explores this narrative. In her body of work entitled ‘How do I make you feel?’ she invites the viewer to gaze at brilliantly coloured faces, encouraging reflection on their own emotional state. Her art addresses the many barriers that she and others face, some due to disability discrimination and prejudice. Her powerful paintings are vibrant, creating emotionally charged pieces, that encourage the viewer to have a dialogue with the images.

In this exhibition Baharier is also showcasing a number of portraits of disabled people who have changed society, including Baroness Jane Campbell of Surbiton, a life peer championing and taking forwards legislation to improve disabled people’s rights to lead independent lives. Baharier has also painted Sue Elsegood, who chained herself to buses also notably stated, ‘We can put a person on the Moon, why can’t we get a wheelchair on a bus?’ Both activists describe themselves as freedom fighters