The Weight of the Unseen

I’ve recently started developing a new body of work titled The Weight of the Unseen, and I wanted to share a little bit about what’s happening behind the scenes as it begins to take shape.

This project is deeply personal. It explores the experience of living with invisible illness, particularly fibromyalgia and bipolar disorder, alongside the impact of perimenopause, and the emotional and physical weight that often goes unseen or misunderstood. A big part of my motivation comes from the frustration around how these conditions are often dismissed, misdiagnosed, or reduced to something psychological, especially in women. There’s a long-standing gap in how women’s health is understood and treated, and I want this work to sit within that conversation.

Rather than presenting these experiences in a literal way, I’m using portraiture to express what can’t easily be explained. The work focuses heavily on chiaroscuro, using strong contrasts of light and shadow to symbolise visibility and invisibility. What is revealed and what is obscured becomes just as important as the subject itself. Some areas of the face are brought sharply into focus, while others dissolve into darkness, echoing the unpredictability and fragmentation of living with these conditions.

At the moment, I’m in the development stage, working through photography, sketching, and material experimentation. I’ve been creating my own reference images in a controlled lighting setup to capture very specific emotional states, including intensity, fatigue, and a sense of searching for answers. These will form the basis of three large-scale charcoal portraits.

The scale of the work is also important to me. By working larger than life, I want the viewer to feel confronted by the subject, to create a sense of intimacy that is difficult to ignore. It’s about making something that is usually hidden feel present, visible, and acknowledged.

I’m really pleased to say that this body of work will be exhibited at Fleetwood Market Gallery from the 12th to the 18th of July 2027. Having a physical space to share this work feels like an important part of the project, not just as an outcome, but as an opportunity to open up conversation around these experiences.

My goal with this exhibition isn’t just to show finished pieces, but to create a moment of recognition. Whether someone has lived through similar experiences themselves or is seeing it from the outside, I want the work to encourage understanding, empathy, and awareness.

There’s still a long way to go, and plenty happening behind the scenes, but I’ll be sharing more as the work continues to develop.