IN/side/OUT--Trauma, Chronic Illness, and Medical Interventions—Visual Tales through MRI and Personal Mythology

Following years of doctor’s visits, medical interventions, and therapy, I began to compile my medical files through freedom of information requests. Upon receiving digital copies of MRI and CT Scans of my brain in 2006, I was struck by the images I could see within the scans. Frustrated with the medical outcomes, I began to interpret my experiences through paint, collage, and other medium. Surreal, and reminiscent of the Rorschach inkblot tests, the images explore my medical and personal journey over recent years. These eleven paintings explore dreams, heartbreak, medical frustration, and the anxiety inherent in the process of diagnosis determination.

Jewelles Smith—June 2011