The Emotional Landscape
This painting reflects the inner turbulence of symptoms that remain unseen. It conveys the exhaustion of carrying pain that has no clear medical language attached to it. The softened edges of the figure mirror the emotional erosion that occurs when symptoms are dismissed or minimised. For generations, women have been forced to explain, justify and prove their pain because systems have not recognised it.
Advocating for your body becomes an act of political and personal agency. The work underscores that women’s healthcare is not a niche concern but a matter of human rights and collective accountability.
The Story of Creation
This piece began with the desire to visualise the ambiguity that surrounds women’s health. The inward curled posture was the first element established due to its symbolism for unmanaged and confusing pain. As the painting developed, the edges of the figure were intentionally softened so the body could dissolve into the background. This visual choice reflects how women’s symptoms are frequently absorbed into broader diagnoses. It mirrors the ongoing reality that healthcare systems lack adequate frameworks for representing women’s embodied experiences.
Although this posture can hold different interpretations, its alignment with menstrual pain made endometriosis the most relevant lens for this work. This painting became a way to highlight the disconnect between lived experience and medical understanding. The final composition remains deliberately messy to echo the unresolved nature of women’s health research and care.
Personal connection
This piece reflects my own commitment to listening to my body and taking my experiences seriously. Although I do not have endometriosis, the themes of dismissal, invisibility and emotional labour resonate deeply with my broader experience as a woman navigating systems that do not always believe or support me. Creating this work became a way to honour the courage required to seek clarity, insist on answers and trust your own physical experience even when it is questioned or misunderstood. The process of making this piece became an act of advocating for my body in a wider sense.
Display Recommendations
This piece offers a moment of recognition for anyone who has ever had to explain, justify or fight for their own pain to be validated. Displaying this piece in your home serves as a reminder of the unseen labour carried by so many women. It portrays the strength required to advocate for your body and the importance of taking your experiences seriously. It brings depth and intuition into a space, signalling that your environment is one that values awareness, compassion and emotional honesty.
