The Gallery
​The Cabinet
2013
APG Works Installation
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This piece of work is an accumulation of habits. It attempts to satisfy Emily-Jane’s everyday need to make, collect, write obsessively and make lists. A piece of work is archived in the cabinet each day, and is recorded in a book. The images remain locked and hidden away within the cabinet until the time comes for the piece to be exhibited. The task to choose the images to be removed from the cabinet is given to somebody other than the artist. This means that Emily-Jane cannot choose what is displayed. This tackles the issues Emily-Jane has with her work, as she struggles to see any of her pieces as ‘art’. She has created strict rules with the cabinet to restrain herself from discarding and belittling her work, all the while creating a safe space for her to create impulsively and without excessive self criticism.
Scared of a Birthday Cake
2015
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This recent series of works was born out of angst, but I look at them now with tenderness. I was falling apart and little made sense. I had an eating disorder. How I managed to almost starve myself to death without realising, I don't know. I thought I was looking after myself. Why I still struggle to nourish myself correctly, I don’t know either. All I know is that some moments are good and some are bad.
I drew food because food was everything. It still is some days, but I know now that I can treat myself with the respect I deserve…If I try really hard. These drawings illustrate my stream of consciousness and at the time, I felt isolated with only my art as company. I was an alien. I was faulty. I had malfunctioned somehow. It took time to forgive myself. Reading and seeing other peoples responses to having eating disorders in books and artwork made me feel less alienated and isolated. It’s my turn to return the favour. When you feel on your own, you are not alone. Our experiences bring us together as companions. No matter what you are going through, your companions are out here and we are rooting for you.