Inner Portraits Exhibition, 2023

Our mental health is not just a single defining trait, nor is it static.

It is a strata constructed from multiple facets of human life such as biology,

chemistry, experience, environment, relationships, exercise, nutrition, therapies,

and medications. We often convey this inner mental health narrative to the

world through the use of plant and animal symbols.

The Inner Portraits in this exhibition use such symbols and visual metaphors

discovered through interviews conducted with five individuals, all confronting

a struggle between the body and mind. Both women and non-binary individuals

 have always dealt with difficult interactions of hormonal and mental health and

 have historically been underserved in an androcentric healthcare system.

In this space their own self perceptions are given form. We are all composed of

the same chemical building blocks, but endless variation exits even within our own

selves. We are all so much more than a single picture on a wall.