Artist and brain injury survivor Xavier White has been a regular supporter of Action for Brain Injury Week over the years, using his creativity to raise awareness and start conversations about life after brain injury. Following his involvement in 2024 — when he launched special events to mark the week — Xavier returns in 2026 with a new exhibition that continues to reflect on his personal experiences and the long-term impact of brain injury.
Finding a new way forward
Xavier sustained a serious brain injury in 1985 and continues to live with the long-term effects of that trauma.
Like many people affected by brain injury, recovery has not been straightforward. But over time, creativity has played a powerful role in helping him process his experiences and rebuild a sense of purpose.
Since receiving support following a stay at the Maudsley Hospital’s neurosurgical rehabilitation ward, Xavier has gone on to develop a distinctive artistic practice rooted in lived experience.
He has since been recognised as an artist-in-residence at London South Bank University, named Outside In’s Artist of the Month, and continues to contribute as a volunteer at the Bethlem Gallery.
‘Slowbiles’: seeing value differently
At the heart of Xavier’s work are his “Slowbiles” — carefully constructed mobiles that move gently and slowly.
Created from collected everyday objects — often found in skips or house clearance markets — each piece is thoughtfully reassembled and reimagined.
Xavier explains:
“They have caught my eye as having an aesthetically pleasing potential… I’ve collected them, waiting. They could be viewed as a patient following a brain injury — dysfunctional, but given a new position in the world, viewed differently, uplifted with care and attention to be appreciated for what they carry.”
The Slowbiles reflect a powerful message: that people, like objects, can be seen in new ways when given time, support and understanding.
A special exhibition for ABI Week
In May 2026, Xavier’s work will be exhibited at Brainkind’s Stagenhoe Park in Hertfordshire, within the Reflection Room and chapel spaces of the neurological care centre.
The exhibition — Slowbiles Arrival — takes place during Action for Brain Injury Week (18–24 May 2026), a time dedicated to raising awareness of the challenges faced by people living with brain injury.
Stagenhoe Park provides specialist rehabilitation and care for people following acquired brain injury and other neurological conditions, making it a fitting setting for Xavier’s work.
The exhibition also reflects a meaningful full circle moment. When preparing for a previous show at nearby St Paul’s Walden Bury, Xavier discovered Brainkind next door — and the alignment with ABI Week inspired this latest project.
Creativity, recovery and connection
For Xavier, art is not just about expression — it is about connection.
His work encourages viewers to pause, to look again, and to reconsider assumptions about value, usefulness, and recovery.
Through his Slowbiles, Xavier offers a quiet but powerful reminder that life after brain injury may be different — but it can still hold creativity, meaning and beauty.
Find out more
Visit Xavier’s work: http://xavierwhite.weebly.com
Learn more about Outside In: https://outsidein.org.uk
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