Rachel E Blockwell/ Women Art

This work is a visceral investigation into the lived reality of a body navigating disability and severe mental health. I view the body not as a static vessel, but as a site of memory—a place where history is stored, felt, and eventually released. My practice is an essential tool for understanding this history, translating the internal 'noise' of trauma and recovery into a tangible language.

Working across painting, audio, and video, I search for ways to be heard when words feel insufficient. These paintings are often physical acts of release, while the audio work captures the unseen textures of my environment and inner state. I am particularly drawn to performance art and moving images, using my own physical presence to challenge the boundaries between artist and subject.

This body of work is deeply informed by my identity as a mother and a woman, as well as my commitment to animal liberation. For me, the fight for animal rights is inseparable from the fight for disability justice; both are a search for kindness, honesty, and the recognition of our shared vulnerability. In these pieces, I am not seeking perfection. I am documenting a raw, experimental journey of what it means to live, to hurt, and—most importantly—to keep moving forward.