SALA Artist - Sarah-Jane
South Australian Living Artists Festival 1-31 August 2024
Artist profile
Sarah-Jane lives in SA and has been bedbound since being diagnosed with severe ME/CFS in 2021. Prior to that, Sarah-Jane lived with undiagnosed mild - moderate ME/CFS for a number of years. Since being bedbound she had to move back home with her family, cease study and work.
Adelaide, South Australia
Gallery
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Artist Comments
This two piece art series shows the two viewpoints Sarah-Jane has from her bed, her ceiling and her window looking out into the garden. The words capture some of the experience of what living with ME/CFS is like for Sarah-Jane. The two views highlight the contradiction and tension between holding onto hope and being realistic about current circumstances.
Description of the artwork
Looking Up: Ceiling view - a photograph of a beige-white ceiling textured with small circles and dots like a repeating Christmas ornament. On the ceiling is a an oyster-lamp ceiling light with white swirled glass and silver arms and a beige air-conditioning duct. Words have been graphically overlaid on the ceiling in a random way that is almost like they are dancing around on the page:
despair | abandoned | isolated | overwhelming |
forgotten | unrelenting | loss | judgement |
misunderstood | neglect | trenches | unsolicited advice |
trauma | pain | grief | waiting |
Looking Out: Garden view - a photograph looking out a window on to a table covered in pots with growing plants and flowers including bright yellow sunflowers, pink and yellow chrysanthemums, and succulents. There are four hanging pots with pink and white flowers. The background has a blueish pine tree, a gravel drive and a blue sky. The words are overlaid on the plants in the foreground:
connection | healing | nurtured | life |
peace | growth | research | integration |
support | hope | joy | love |
acceptance |
Copyright of all content (images and text) belongs to the artist credited. All work is used here with permission and shall not be used by any other organisation or individual for any purpose or in any way without express written permission of the artist.
Last edited: 25 July, 2024