Virginia Leonard – 'If Pain Can Change, Pain Can Change' 2023

My work serves as a visual representation of my body, which has become a central focus of my ongoing studio dialogue. The realities of chronic pain and bodily scarring have left me feeling voiceless. Chronic pain has no biological value or language. Through my practice, I find a way to articulate and process these experiences. My work is a visual language that allows me to translate my daily struggles with chronic pain and trauma.. The work evokes feelings of revulsion, but it is also vibrant, dynamic, and truthful. I embrace the organic reality of my body and its fragility, using it as a tool to navigate a constantly evolving world. Rather than striving for a static and idealized version of the human form, my work recognizes the beauty in the imperfections and complexities of the human body. I see my body as a "body of becoming," constantly changing and growing.

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Virginia Lives and works in Aotearoa. She graduated with a MFA in painting and moved to ceramics in 2013. She is represented in the US, Europe, Australia and Aotearoa. Virginia is in public collections in Europe the US, Australia and Aotearoa. When Virginia was twenty she was in a serious road accident and her work is a daily dialogue that she has with her body, chronic pain and bodily scarring. Her studio practise gives her body a voice.

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Jugs

May 6- June 24

Read about the exhibition.

Jugs is part of Melbourne Design Week 2023, an initiative of the Victorian Government in collaboration with the NGV.

Material: clay, lustre and resin

Dimensions: approx. 98 x 60cm