Paralyzed
2022
Air dry clay, Steel, Gold paint
36 x 14.5 x 10.5 in
Paralyzed is a sculpture about pain, immobility, and trauma. Last May, I tore two discs in my back, leaving me paralyzed for 6 weeks. I was in the hospital for a week where I experienced malpractice. I then had to learn how to walk again. I wanted this sculpture to not only convey the excruciating physical pain that comes with that injury, but also the emotional pain I went through in that time as well. I wanted the clay to feel organic yet rigid which is why I shaped it in a more simplistic way. I left the ribs as exposed metal to showcase vulnerability. And I added the gold in the cracks to emphasize the injury and fragility of the spine. I chose gold because of the Japanese art practice Kintsugi. The Japanese fill cracks in pottery with gold to embrace the life that the pieces have had, to highlight the damage in a beautiful way, and to
not let them go to waste. I wanted to do the same by highlighting the cracks and embracing the pain as part of my story.
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