LISA TRAVERS

I explore the themes of illness and disability in my work as a way of making peace with my body and regaining some form of control. Elements of 18th & 19th century anatomy illustrations are collaged into a three-dimensional kaleidoscopic form as a representation of the cycles, rhythms and patterns of the things my body goes through. The physicality of the making is extremely therapeutic. The state of flow alleviates my pain.

The Deserters open call is one I am compelled to enter. Illness is central to my creative discipline and informs all my work. Throughout my life I have been diagnosed and misdiagnosed with physical and mental conditions, each time recalibrating how I see myself in the world. Being an artist is isolating, being a sick artist can feel like being on another planet. I am on a journey of becoming content with where I am in my life.