LAURA GREENWAY

Hand Wash

Artist Statement

During the pandemic I have been experimenting with hand printing to create 2D works that capture the difficulties of living through a global pandemic whilst suffering from severe contamination OCD. As a primarily performance based artist, finding myself stuck inside my house and unable to do live pieces, I was at first uncertain on how I could continue to create work during a time of isolation. I have always had a fascination with the process of creating, and drawing comparisons between the intensity that goes into both my OCD rituals as well as making a work of art. With this is mind, I began creating pieces using stamped lettering, writing out my intrusive thoughts that now centred around the pandemic. These pieces, made by hand using a technique that is so time consuming, made a good comparison between the laborious process of hand printing, and the tedious nature of ritualistic OCD compulsions. I have also been experimenting with using text directly on my body, another process I see as performative but without the physical performance element, making these pieces easier to make in quarantine.

What if this is the end

Artist Biography

Laura is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice is based around her own experiences of mental health problems and disability. She often engages in performance art or use mediums that she deems as performative, using her body as a tool of expression. Her work aims to communicate themes such as vulnerability, visibility and fragility as well as focusing on the theme of repetition, making links between the ritualistic nature of illnesses such as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and repetition as part of art. Laura’s practice encompasses performance, print and writing to create unique art pieces often using live art to put an emphasis on the process of making and allowing her audience to witness the development of the work. During the pandemic Laura has been experimenting with hand-printing to create works that capture the difficulties of living through a global health crisis whilst suffering from contamination based OCD.