Small Repairs
Digital prints
Image transfers
Audio
When is enough, enough?
matte medium gel image transfers
3'x3' medicine cabinet containing 60 pill bottles
Exhibition Fall 2025
My series Small Repairs explores issues related to mental health. I focus on depression, bipolar disorder, and the risk of suicide. Many people are affected in some way by mental illnesses, in a study conducted by the Anxiety and Depression Association of America researchers concluded that, “2.3 million Americans are affected by Bipolar disorder” and that, “depression is one of the most prevalent mental health conditions in the US and it is the leading cause of disability”.
In this project, I interviewed members of the public who have depression or Bipolar Disorder or who have a close family member who does. I’m curious about how people deal with their mental illnesses. How often it affects their lives and what they do to keep moving forward. The audio is from personal interviews with individuals impacted by mental illness. I want it to give them a voice and bring an intimate look into what their life is like when they are going through life’s struggles. The photographs are a visual representation of what interviewees expressed had brought light to their lives. Every image is a self-portrait, where I put myself in their shoes and try to find joy where they find it the most. I did this not only to explore what helps people who struggle with mental illnesses, but also to find other ways to better my own mental health. By putting myself into these situations, I was challenged to step out of my comfort zone and examine more closely how I can find joy in everyday activities.
As a way to explore and question my own experience with bipolar disorder and depression, I created a medicine cabinet with sixty pill bottles. The oversized medicine cabinet represents the overwhelming effect that mental health can have on people’s lives. This number of bottles represents the number of months that I have been on medication. On the surface of the pill bottles, I illustrate different side effects of the medication, what symptoms individuals experienced before going on medication, and my own personal experience with taking psychotropic medications.
“Bipolar Disorder.” 2009. Anxiety and Depression Association of America, ADAA. https://adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/co-occurring-disorders/bipolar-disorder.
“Depression Facts & Statistics.” 2009. Anxiety and Depression Association of America, ADAA. https://adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/depression/facts-statistics.
