migraine series (2024)

Created in early 2024, this series of six oil-on-wood panels explores the physical and psychological realities of living with chronic migraines. Visually distinct from my later practice, these works document the development of a highly personal, symbolic language used to map the internal experience of a neurological condition that exists largely out of public view.

The imagery focuses on the strict environmental controls and cyclical nature of the illness. In works such as Losing days, Fringe, and Refuge, the bed emerges as a central motif—an isolated, geometric sanctuary that simultaneously functions as a site of confinement. Other panels, such as Migraine Diary and Hear Me Rattling, translate the administrative burden of chronic pain into visual systems, using calendar grids and the exaggerated scale of medication to question the delicate balance of symptom management and the profound disruption of daily life. Headsick shifts focus to the clinical environment, exploring the surreal, claustrophobic reality of diagnostic testing.

Ultimately, this deeply personal series served as a critical turning point in my practice. The process of building this specific, insular symbology eventually necessitated a shift toward the more fluid, universal abstractions and broader systemic critiques that define my current work