Artist reflection

Helen Chadwick

'Ego Geometria Sum (1983-6) consists in its entirety of ten laminated plywood sculptures, their surfaces covered with photographic images, and ten accompanying photographs. Initially titled ‘Growing Pains’, it charts the artist’s development from birth to the age of thirty through ten key stages of her life. These are embodied in ten geometric sculptures based on everyday objects of nostalgic significance from her past. Shadowy photographs of Chadwick’s naked body are superimposed with photographs of the original objects and other related elements on the geometric forms. Following the mathematical structure of a spiral, the sculptures correspond to dates increasingly far apart.'

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Due of the link between black and white, when students majoring in painting first encounter her works, they will initially associate them with drawings coupled with sculpture and performance art, which is different from what the description informs the audience. The initial impression motivated me. I got a great feeling of drama and experimentation from Helen's use of photography and other media, along with her own performance art. In her actions, I observed my own thought and self-understanding processes. My personal works contain numerous paintings as well, and I'm considering the idea of expressing paintings using other mediums.

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References:​​​Tate (1986) 'The labours i', Helen Chadwick, 1986, Tate. Available at: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/chadwick-the-labours-i-p78657 (Accessed: January 23, 2023). 

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