Trauma

About

Artists: Susan Aldworth, Suzanne Anker, Katharine Dowson, Rachel Gadsden, Shelley James, Luke Jerram, Andrew Krasnow, Michal Macku, David Marron, Darragh O'Callaghan, Anais Tondeur, William Utermohlen, Jacek Wankowski. Traumas are both personal and impersonal, physical and psychological, short-lived and long-lasting. Sometimes only visible through the lens of a microscope, their impact can be both unique and universal. This exhibition attempts to understand the various manifestations of trauma both natural and man-made; revealing the intimate experience of those who live with trauma while also investigating perceptions of sometimes concealed mental distress. The artists involved in this project employ a diversity of approaches, charting the full dimensions of trauma from the micro-molecular to those on a global environmental scale. Trauma contrasts works such as Luke Jerram's delicate glass sculptures which underscore the fragility of the human body when faced with viral infection and contrast these to Rachel Gadsden's, for example. Her divergent approach externalizes the invisible world of those living with HIV/AIDS in South Africa by capturing the physical sensations of trauma. Her works powerfully draws on her own unseen disability to create a direct emotional connection between subject, artist and viewer. Under the banner of the Art and Science series, this new exhibition at GV Art seeks to expand cross-disciplinary collaboration amongst artist, scientist and community. This holistic approach is designed to find links between the clinical exploration and personal experience of trauma which are both underpinned by, and understood through, a shared concern for humanity.