A Room of Her Own

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I used to think a room of one’s own was just about privacy and solitude, but I’ve come to realise that it is about the courage to face what you’ve hidden within those four walls. It is about claiming and having that space - whether a bedroom, an opportunity to exhibit my work, or something metaphorical, such as reclaiming my body as my own in response to sexual violence and abuse, and in a political climate where women are often denied such luxuries. In these spaces, I confront the fragments of myself shaped by trauma, memory, and healing. The act of reclaiming is not just about taking up space, it’s about rewriting what that space means to me and asserting who gets to define it.

Virginia Woolf’s discourse on the necessity of personal space for creative freedom and self-expression has profoundly influenced my practice. Her ideas have shaped my reflections on the spaces we occupy, both physically and mentally. Through my paintings, I explore these spaces and use them to confront my experiences, unpack years of suppressed emotions and allow myself to use my practice to work through my own challenges. This series is as much about reclamation as it is about transformation: it turns what was once overwhelming into something I can hold, understand, heal from, and share.

The spaces I create in my work and this exhibition are invitations to witness this healing process, as I use the space to confront my body and traumas. The paintings turn the intimate into something public, asking viewers to examine not just my body but the spaces I inhabit. By doing so, I aim to bring the viewer into a confrontation with vulnerability, both mine and their own, as they intrude on this intimate process. 

The nakedness in my paintings extends beyond the literal portrayal of my body. It reflects the relationship between, and the inherent vulnerability, in exposing myself and my private space for public scrutiny, allowing viewers to see what they would not ordinarily encounter if it were not placed before them in this way. This juxtaposition provokes questions about permission and boundaries: Am I supposed to look? Why is this space visible to me? Through this exposure, I reclaim control over what is shown and how it is seen. The concept of this exhibition is rooted in the tension between being the subject and the object of the gaze. By placing the viewer in a deeply personal space, I challenge traditional dynamics between observer and observed. This setting disrupts the detachment typical of the gallery space, forcing an ethical confrontation with the act of looking: Should you be here? While these works are deeply personal, they demand engagement rather than passive observation. The dynamic between the viewer and the work is deliberate; I invite you into this room, yet I also ask you to question your presence within it. By sharing this space, I challenge the gallery’s neutrality and provoke a dialogue about vulnerability, intimacy, and what it truly means to be seen.