MACAP Exhibition

I had one painting that I intended to exhibit. This painting changed the focus of my work from my family members to myself. Over the last 12 months I'd considered my approach to my practice and decided that I would anonomyse the people in my work and focus on my perspective of my experiences now that there was time between it.

I felt more confident to share personal experience but slightly conficted about it. I spoke to an artist who made me understand that there's nothing dishonsest about not sharing your experiences. He also suggested that I should speak for my work as my language minimised what I was doing. 

     A picture of all the children together. 2025

As I had the coridoor space, I added some more work. I'm keen to make effective artworks that are not laboured because of the subconscious idea that they need to be meticulously planned and perfected.

The drawing on paper is a perspective of my experience through my eyes whilst still removing the figures from the work.  The book is significant to and I'm happy with how this came out. The papers were hung by nailing them to the wall - the logic was that this was indicative of my own thought process, akin to putting them on a notice board in the studio to consider and reflect on as I move my practice forward, and not preserved behind glass as a 'final' product. They're current and in my peripheral.

  

I included these because I'm trying to capture something that isn't resolved. I've also always loved sketches and stages of making and feel that these have a place in exhibitions. I feel that these may be as autobiographical as my work will ever be and I'll move on now.

Working as an Outreach Officer in high schools has made it feel easier to share my educational experience as a teenage mum in a positive way that encourages social mobility but I don't feel restricted as an artist any more and don't feel the need to focus my work on it.  Imposter syndrome doesn't have to be my thing. 

This was exhibited unfinished. It feels like the end of a chapter and although the audience may notice that I have not finished detail around the hand or really tidied the edges.. I won't do any more to this peice because I'm finished with it - it has no where to go within my practice.

I'm still collecting images of dead birds. This is the second painting of it's kind. They're received really well. I'm not sure where they fit at the moment. This one is called 'objects of my affection' but I left all but ' A picture of all the children together' untitled for this exhibition as it felt relevant to where I was at.

It's relevant in terms of how we comodify and objectify nature and how i'm exploring nature in terms of the feminine and how its atttributed to women as chaotic and unruly - but this feels really broad at the moment.