Research
Published Research
March 2022:
The Embodiment of Health Conditions in Contemporary Art
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Synopsis
This research investigates how contemporary artists depict physical chronic health conditions throughout their practice. This topic raises issues that have been relevant throughout history, but even more so in present times, such as illness, isolation, therapy, and the correlation between physical and mental health. My research is centred on the use of practice-based research with myself as someone who has personal experiences with chronic physical illnesses. The writings of Elyse Cheney, A. Kettenmenn, and Barbara Rodriguez Munoz will help to analyse the works of Eva Hesse and Louise Bourgeois, as they pursue the exploration of artistic concepts surrounding illness, isolation, and displacement. Critical links will be made to primary resources including personal medical files and experiences. The works of Frida Kahlo, Hannah Wilke, and Tracey Emin will be explored to investigate the relationship and connections between physical and emotional health and the ways they can intertwine and overlap. By analysing the work of these three artists, I hope to gain insight into how art can enhance our understanding of chronic health conditions in a more contemporary context.
Independent Research Project
April 2022:
An Exploration of how Artists Embody Physical Health conditions in their Practice
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Synopsis
The events that have generated the idea of this topic is from a personal journey that I have recently gone through. During the past two years, I have been battling a serious health condition that has led to a range of emotions. This experience of emotions has been life changing and has influenced and inspired a series of works in my studio practice where I utilise specific semiotic trope to explore internal pain and emotions. The metaphorical treatment of colour, and objects are used to portray a range of feelings or narratives.
The key artists who have shaped the interest of this dissertation include Frida Kahlo, Quentin Massys, Rembrandt, Jo Spence, Hannah Wilke, Eva Hesse, Tracey Emin, and Beau Frank as they are all artists whose works reflect their own medical battles and document themes of fragility, loneliness, sickness, treatment, pain, trauma, and other difficult aspects that accompany with living with a chronic illness. It is my intention to investigate how these artists embody their chronic health conditions in their artistic practice.
The theories and research that will support this study will be that of a qualitative method which will involve collating information from books, journals, websites, and articles. Books that will be used to support this dissertation will include, Intra- Venus by Hannah Wilke, When Walls Become Doorways by Tobi Zausner Ph.D., Eva Hesse and Hannah Wilke: Erotic Abstraction by Eleanor Nairne, Illness as Metaphor and AIDS and its Metaphors by Susan Sontag, and essay extracts from Health: Documents of Contemporary Art edited by Barbara Rodriguez Munoz. There will also be an examination into the study Art therapy improves mood and reduces pain and anxiety when offered at bedside during acute hospital treatment by Tamara A. Shella to consider the possibility of whether the making of artwork has an impact on pain levels and emotions caused by chronic illness.