Heather D Haigh
DISSOCIATION
IMAGE DESCRIPTION:
COERCED SURROGATE
IMAGE DESCRIPTION:
Artist statement:
Dissociation: This piece is part of a collection of work interrogating the internal bodily sensations related to PTSD. The style is influenced by abstract impressionism in parallel with the abstract thought processes and sensory perceptions associated with the state of dissociation. Worked in brush pen and wax crayon on multi-media paper, in a very loose freestyle technique to mimic the loss of clarity and mooring that can accompany such moments. A representation of my personal experience to open up potential resonance with fellow sufferers.
Coerced Surrogate: Also in the abstract impressionist style, this piece reflects the fragmentation and distortion of body self-image by female commodification. The focus on the value of women is placed upon the reproductive organs. I wanted to interrogate how this would affect self-image and the image that a woman, particularly one used to birth several children, might have of her babies. I attempt to pose the question: Can she allow herself to see them through the normal lens of motherhood, or must her mind blur and distort their mental images? Worked in acrylic and oil-pastel on canvas to impart a bold contrast of the female body against her surroundings.
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