Anna Golding
RECOVERY FOR ME, RECOVERY FOR ALL, is an in-progress documentation of my recovery from breast reduction surgery. After my surgery in fall 2021 I developed feelings of shame and embarrassment towards my healing body. To ward off these feelings and to cope with my new body I started painting it.
Take notice of the dried blood underneath the crusted surgical tape and the scarring running down the breasts’ curve, which in some cases are misshapen and bruised. Not only are these once-thought embarrassing details present in the paintings but brazenly emphasized with bold, almost blinding colours.
I found out quickly that painting the stages of my recovery was important in tracking my physical healing, reaffirming my decision to get the surgery in the first place, and to console and resolve the abuse I’ve been feeding myself internally since the surgery, and long before that.
I will bring attention to the beauty and strength of my own body, that of which I have only recently discovered, from all stages of my recovery up to the present. Viewers will leave the exhibition with awareness and a changed perspective of the negative stigma surrounding healing bodies.
This exhibition will be as much for myself as it is for others, hence its title: RECOVERY FOR ME, RECOVERY FOR ALL.
You can find more of Anna’s work on Instagram @art.oclock.with.anna