Pain Position Self & Endometriosis
This work emerged from the ennui produced by endometriosis, a condition that intermittently withdraws me from daily life. Chronic pain necessitates endurance; when a flare overwhelms the body, life continues uninterrupted. Work proceeds, expressions are maintained, and pain is managed privately, without drawing attention to its presence.
During more severe periods, sick leave is once again exhausted. Confined to bed, the cognitive effects of medication obscure time and limit agency. Productivity becomes unattainable, entertainment losses it’s appeal and the body is experienced as something unreliable.
The portrait resists conventional visual language of pain. Instead of presenting a body collapsed by suffering, the pose references positions learned to manage discomfort, performed deliberately for the camera. The work reflects the quiet labour of masking pain and stands as an acknowledgement of those who live and work within chronic illness.
Pain Postures 2025 ~
Pain Postures 2025 ~
Pain Postures examines the quiet physical language of chronic pain. Developed through portraits of individuals living with ongoing illness, the project considers the postures, gestures and subtle adjustments the body learns in order to endure discomfort. These positions are rarely visible in public life, where pain is frequently concealed to maintain the rhythms of work, social interaction and daily expectation.
Each portrait references a posture developed to manage pain. Performed deliberately for the camera, these positions shift from private coping mechanisms to visible forms of acknowledgement. The work seeks to expand the visual language through which chronic illness is represented, moving beyond spectacle or collapse toward the quieter realities of persistence and adaptation.
People living with chronic pain are invited to contribute their own pain postures and experiences as part of the ongoing project.