The Chronic Illness Art Project
McMullen Gallery, University of Alberta Hospital, October 10 - December 2, 2023.
Opening Reception Friday, October 13, 2023, 7-9PM. More details HERE.
Allison Tunis in collaboration with
Mairead Charles, Kiran Janes, Wesley Jones, Madeline LeBlanc, Jess Murwin, Aggie Panda, Tamires Paras, Tina Pultz, Clorinda Young
Artist Statement
The Chronic Illness Art Project is a collaborative portrait series between visual artist and community arts facilitator Allison Tunis (she/they) and nine other individuals throughout Canada who identify as chronically ill. Over the course of three years, Tunis individually connected with each collaborator through a back and forth conversational process, discussing their illnesses and the experience of being chronically ill in the world today. As a result of this process, ten double-sided embroidery and mixed media portraits were created, along with some new or strengthened friendships and opportunities to share our stories candidly.
Visually, one side of each piece is a representational portrait of an individual in cross-stitch embroidery, and the reverse side incorporates free-form embroidery, mixed-media collage, and installation elements to attempt to reproduce each collaborator’s experiences of chronic illness through the use of visual metaphor, colour, and texture. Accessibility was an important consideration throughout the creation of the works and for any subsequent exhibitions and display.
This project sought to develop a more equitable and anti-oppressive approach to portraiture and art-making, specifically focusing on breaking down hierarchies often present in art practices – by listening to and centring lived experience, recognizing and addressing the power differentials between “artist” and “model, and reflecting on questions about elitism and exclusion within art communities, the value of creation vs. concept, insider vs. outsider art, craft vs. fine art, and art ownership and consent practices. The ultimate goals of the project were to benefit individuals living with chronic illness(es) by building community, providing meaningful compensation for sharing their experiences, challenging and breaking down artistic hierarchies and barriers, and widening the scope of the conversation about the identities and experiences of those who live with chronic illness – led by those with lived experience.
Contact Info:
[email protected]
Instagram: @allisontunis
Facebook: @allisontunisart
Read the Art From Here Statement and Written Review by Zoë Schneider about this project, as part of the Art From Here II series, a collaboration between Latitude 53, the Mitchell Art Gallery, Ociciwan Contemporary Art Collective, and the Society of Northern Alberta Print Artists (SNAP) from December 2021.
The Chronic Illness Art Project was supported by the Edmonton Arts Council, the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, the Canada Council for the Arts, and the McMullen Gallery/Friends of University Hospitals.
McMullen Gallery, University of Alberta Hospital, October 10 - December 2, 2023.
Opening Reception Friday, October 13, 2023, 7-9PM. More details HERE.
Allison Tunis in collaboration with
Mairead Charles, Kiran Janes, Wesley Jones, Madeline LeBlanc, Jess Murwin, Aggie Panda, Tamires Paras, Tina Pultz, Clorinda Young
Artist Statement
The Chronic Illness Art Project is a collaborative portrait series between visual artist and community arts facilitator Allison Tunis (she/they) and nine other individuals throughout Canada who identify as chronically ill. Over the course of three years, Tunis individually connected with each collaborator through a back and forth conversational process, discussing their illnesses and the experience of being chronically ill in the world today. As a result of this process, ten double-sided embroidery and mixed media portraits were created, along with some new or strengthened friendships and opportunities to share our stories candidly.
Visually, one side of each piece is a representational portrait of an individual in cross-stitch embroidery, and the reverse side incorporates free-form embroidery, mixed-media collage, and installation elements to attempt to reproduce each collaborator’s experiences of chronic illness through the use of visual metaphor, colour, and texture. Accessibility was an important consideration throughout the creation of the works and for any subsequent exhibitions and display.
This project sought to develop a more equitable and anti-oppressive approach to portraiture and art-making, specifically focusing on breaking down hierarchies often present in art practices – by listening to and centring lived experience, recognizing and addressing the power differentials between “artist” and “model, and reflecting on questions about elitism and exclusion within art communities, the value of creation vs. concept, insider vs. outsider art, craft vs. fine art, and art ownership and consent practices. The ultimate goals of the project were to benefit individuals living with chronic illness(es) by building community, providing meaningful compensation for sharing their experiences, challenging and breaking down artistic hierarchies and barriers, and widening the scope of the conversation about the identities and experiences of those who live with chronic illness – led by those with lived experience.
Contact Info:
[email protected]
Instagram: @allisontunis
Facebook: @allisontunisart
Read the Art From Here Statement and Written Review by Zoë Schneider about this project, as part of the Art From Here II series, a collaboration between Latitude 53, the Mitchell Art Gallery, Ociciwan Contemporary Art Collective, and the Society of Northern Alberta Print Artists (SNAP) from December 2021.
The Chronic Illness Art Project was supported by the Edmonton Arts Council, the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, the Canada Council for the Arts, and the McMullen Gallery/Friends of University Hospitals.
