Artist Statement – Chronic Illness Art Project 2021-23
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).
This series seeks to capture the experiences of individuals who live with chronic illnesses through a series of double-sided hand-embroidered portraits that are displayed with both sides of the pieces visible to viewers. The “fronts” of each piece are a representational portrait of each individual in cross-stitch embroidery, and the reverse of each piece uses free-form embroidery and mixed-media collage to reproduce each collaborator’s experiences of chronic illness through the use of visual metaphor, colour, texture, and installation. Accessibility will be an important consideration both during the creation of these works and for the exhibition and lifetime display of the works.
This project seeks 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 centering 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 overall project aims 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.
The series is scheduled to be exhibited in October 2023. It is 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.
Photos below may show works still in-progress, and is not a complete documentation of all the pieces included.
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).
This series seeks to capture the experiences of individuals who live with chronic illnesses through a series of double-sided hand-embroidered portraits that are displayed with both sides of the pieces visible to viewers. The “fronts” of each piece are a representational portrait of each individual in cross-stitch embroidery, and the reverse of each piece uses free-form embroidery and mixed-media collage to reproduce each collaborator’s experiences of chronic illness through the use of visual metaphor, colour, texture, and installation. Accessibility will be an important consideration both during the creation of these works and for the exhibition and lifetime display of the works.
This project seeks 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 centering 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 overall project aims 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.
The series is scheduled to be exhibited in October 2023. It is 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.
Photos below may show works still in-progress, and is not a complete documentation of all the pieces included.
