Hands On | 2021

Hands On is a diptych combining embroidery, blind embossment, and etching to reflect the complex reality of navigating a broken medical system with a complex chronic illness. The piece grapples with the paradox of feeling both powerless and empowered by the responsibility of having one’s health in one’s own hands. The detached, yet interconnected hands evoke the isolation of lacking external support and guidance, while also symbolizing self-reliance and resilience. Bound together, these disembodied hands speak to the tension between being left to fend for oneself and finding unexpected strength through the same unknowns and isolation.