It Hurts in this Body Still
Graphite on archival watercolour paper, 2024
The work depict twins lying beside one another - one peacefully sleeping, the other with her eyes open. This piece explores the idea of the body as an archival space and the perpetual search for something longed for, something lost, and perhaps never to be found, but forever loved.
It serves as a symbolisation, actualisation and tribute to the existence of my twin sister, whom we tragically lost at birth due to medical negligence.
It Hurts in this Body Still
Illustrated UV Print on patinated copper, 2024
This work is a largescale artwork made of copper. It explores the theme of grief and memory through an auto-ethnographic lens. The work honours and reflects the loss of my twin sister, lost at birth due to medical negligence, a tragic and visceral experience I mirror with the broader cultural loss of diasporic communities navigating through the complex journey of identity.
While chemical treatments are applied around the work to accentuate the contours, the texture comes out almost as aqueous, giving the work a strong dynamic, and keeping the two black figures floating in the void envelopped in a bubble. The fiery process used to forge an array of vibrant, powerful colours imbues the piece with energy, creating a visual spectacle.The interplay of these elements creates a sense of motion, as if the colours themselves are alive
Encircling the work, a subtle poem is woven into the layers of paint, at times hidden beneath the deep blue hues, and at other moments, emerging from the corners. This poetic element adds an additional layer of meaning, encouraging viewers to explore the piece from multiple perspectives, discovering new details with each glance.
The poem reads:
She is a face I’ll never see; in my dreams I kiss her eyes as I hold a face
a face I do not know but in me, I wonder if her face is... was like mine...
I have two shadows and when I walk, I walk with four feet,
I live for two lives...
my footprint... two trails,
We are a two headed creature but one head walks with the living.
my basket overflowing, as it has her helpings.
