My artistic practice emerged from the necessity to process my life, and developed into both an approach and an intentional process of healing from pain that was under-diagnosed, unheard and difficult to verbalise. Taboos, medical, social and cultural stigma or biases contribute to the dismissal, ignorance, silencing or even misdiagnosis of different types of pain connected to ‘reproductive’ female organs. Pain for woman of this kind has been historically sidelined or written off as normal, and therefore accepted as part of having a female anatomy – “period pain is just something you need to deal with!”. Labeled as a “Freak of nature,” the confusion and not having a definitive diagnosis has been painful in itself. By creating a tangible work of art, it has helped come to terms and allow me to understand personal pain, instead of locating it on a non-descript scale of 1 to 10.
With this work I hope to promote conversation around silence and the fears women endure daily due to undiagnosed conditions and to edge towards a space where this type of pain and suffering is not merely shrugged off.