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I drew this collection of self-portraits in Spring 2021, a period in which I spent 8 weeks in hospital in Graz.
At that point, I had only moved to Austria six months prior, so the whole experience of being unwell and needing to be admitted to hospital for a long stay was quite bizarre and overwhelming. I didn’t speak German yet, so I was also quite isolated, as most of my fellow patients didn’t speak English, as well as most of the hospital staff.
As many before me have discovered, a touch experience can often lead to a burst of creativity. One of the many good things that came out of this incredibly difficult time were these self-portraits that I drew from my hospital bed. With the total absence of distraction, or energy to do any other work, I was glad to be able to draw my time away, and to communicate the emotions I was feeling at this strange moment.
I found that the portraits, while they were of me, were also a representation of the other patients in the hospital, as our expressions mirrored one another so profoundly. Through drawing myself, I understood them more too, the anguish we were living through together, even if we couldn’t talk about it.
To commission a portrait in this style, please get in touch via the contact page.
