Tied's Backstory

This acrylic painting is on a 50cm x 50cm canvas and is representation of invisible pain. It was painting in relation to chronic illness and domestic abuse to show that just because something is invisible doesn't mean it's less real. Just because the pain happens in a place the human eye cannot see, doesn't mean that it is non-existent. 

The dark background symbolises isolation - though there are lighter parts which show that there are always glimpses of light and hope.

The girl clenching her knees and hiding her face represents depression - things like having chronic illness, chronic pain or being in an unsafe environment can have a huge impact on mental health. Just because an illness is physical or danger is in your surrounding environment but not within you doesn't mean that it doesn't affect unexpected parts of someone. 

Being tied with barbed wire portrays the entanglement with problems like chronic illness or domestic abuse - it binds someone, limiting them from growing further. Keeping someone small and helpless all battered and bruised. It also represents how warriors with diseases like Endometriosis and Adenomyosis explain what their pain feels like. Chronic illness, domestic abuse, and other situations like these are also embodied by the barbed wire, making us understand that they tie down and hurt someone from all angles. Movement is restricted, you are stopped from being able to grow and live freely.

The scars, blood and rips in her clothes are outlines in gold - this is not meant to glorify or make pain seem beautiful. Alternatively it is recognition. It is saying that she is someone despite the pain, someone who is an unbeatable fighter, and also someone who is able to heal fresh cuts into something that doesn't need to be hidden. 

Scars are proof that you fought a war and won. They tell stories, they carry forward your healing not your pain. It illustrates great resilience, perseverance, and strength.

If you or someone you know is in an unsafe situation, please do not hesitate to find help. Everyone deserves safety and peace. We live once, so we deserve to thrive, not just survive. 💜

From heart to hand, 

Prajakta 🩷