Artist Statement
My work explores a subjective view of sickness; how I and other artists navigate sickness through artmaking as therapy. At the age of 17 I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis resulting in my frequent hospitalisation. The impact of this on my life and practice means, planning, caution, and rest are necessarily embedded within both my daily routine and how I approach my artmaking.
My zine, ‘Not Every Flower Is the Same’ (October 2024), focused on advocacy however, after hospitalisation resulting in nearly dying multiple times due to medical negligence, my work now focuses on understanding my own experience, and taking a positive and critical outlook. Bella Milroy’s ‘Sick Gaze Series’ [1]does this by documenting the “experience of the sick body in domesticity.”. Dodie Bellamy’s book ‘When the Sick Rule the World’ [2] resonates with this, particularly ‘feminist cabaret’ that looks at the medical neglect women receive compared to men, as the result of the feminisation of disability; Johanna Hedva’s ‘Sick Women Theory’[3]. The nature of the mediums I choose: zines, posters, prints, and badges, are produced in multiples which are easily distributable. This lets me share my experience with more people in less formal settings.
Spoon Theory was developed by Christine Miserandino in her essay ‘The spoon theory’ (2003)[4], and is addressed throughout my work, by asking people to consider their energy levels in comparison to chronic illness.‘Chronic Illness & Wasted Energy’ (December 2024), is a set of posters created using my ‘Down the Drain’ (December 2024) lino print design which depicts my experience of wasting all my energy on the toilet. ‘Chronic Illness’ asks, “How many spoons have gone down the drain today?”
My work has developed from lino to screenprint due to my desire for a larger scale, and brighter colours. Screen printing has also allowed me to incorporate my drawings directly into the print. ‘Would You Please Stop Gambling with My Life’ (February 2025), is a screenprint which I printed in multiple variations the most effective being in neon pink as it was so bright it was hard to look at and ignore. It addressed my experience through rhetorical questions and bold lines comparing medical neglect to having my life gambled with.
Helen Chadwick’s work takes morbid / unsettling subjects and makes them beautiful. Matt Collishaw’s work also finds, the “exquisite in the grotesque” [5]. I take inspiration from both these artists by converting the trauma I’ve experienced into artmaking that helps me process my experience and advocate for myself. The cyclical nature of Collishaw’s ‘The Centrifugal Soul’ (2016) and my ‘Come Stand in My Shoes’ (March 2025) resonates as it gives others an insight into the endless cycle of chronic illness I live in. The viewer must physically interact with my work which is an inconvenience. The zoetrope demonstrates my experience through both the animation and the nausea and dizziness caused by the rotation; symptoms caused by my chronic fatigue and pain. The spinning nature of ‘Come Stand in My Shoes’ allows the prints on the outside of the zoetrope to be viewed both stationary and moving.
I intend to encourage people to engage with my work, drawing attention to the unseen problems women with chronic health issues experience, like Beatrice Adler-Bolton’s‘Health Communism’[6] does. I hope the bright colours, strong imagery, and occasional text encourages people to engage with my work and understand the disabled experience. I wish to share with “utter honesty about [my] disability” [7]like Tracey Emin. The print ‘It’s the hospital’ (April 2025) alludes to the anxiety and trauma people feel when they receive difficult news relating to the health of someone they care about. In addition, the average person will become disabled in their lifetime which means most people have medical anxiety and or trauma. Addressing these issues in a manner that is not necessarily triggering, unlike my colonoscopy photos, is essential because this would only exacerbate trauma and anxiety.
My recent prints ‘I’ll take any spoons I can get’ (April 2025), ‘When Do I Get To Live’ (April 2025), ‘This Isn’t the Throne I Dreamt of As a Kid’ (April 2025), and ‘The Waiting Room’s Perspective’ (May 2025) use imagery of spoons, and toilets. The colours are bright and bold, with simple line drawings, like David Shrigley uses in his screenprints. By presenting my prints together, I can represent my full experience and add layers of meaning.
Although my work addresses aspects of trauma that are specific to my situation, the work itself is meant to be relatable in a broader context by drawing attention to issues that are faced by everyone at some point in their life.
[1] “Sick Gaze — Bella Milroy.” n.d. Bella Milroy. https://www.bellamilroy.com/project-1-2.
[2] Bellamy, Dodie. 2015. When the Sick Rule the World. National Geographic Books.
[3]“Sick Woman Theory.” n.d. The Anarchist Library. https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/johanna-hedva-sick-woman-theory.
[4] “But You Don’t Look Sick? Support for Those With Invisible Illness or Chronic Illness » the Spoon Theory Written by Christine Miserandino.” n.d. https://www.butyoudontlooksick.com/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory/.
[5]Art Fund. 2015. “Mat Collishaw on Mat Collishaw.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCyN4_Nikok.
[6]Adler-Bolton, Beatrice, and Artie Vierkant. 2022. Health Communism: A Surplus Manifesto. Verso Books.
[7]“Tracey Emin.” 2022. Apple Podcasts. October 4, 2022. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/tracey-emin/id1480259187?i=1000581608661.