Description
The artist states:
“When I was little, my mam always told me that would never amount to much. I wanted to take ballet classes but she said I was too ugly and too fat. I started to have a really negative body image after that and I fell in with a bad crowd. After that I started taking heroin, anything to ease the pain and the self hate. I went to prison, I got out. I learned to dance because I needed to do something to exercise and keep my mind active. I was so ashamed when I went for my first ballet classes, the girls all had beautiful clear skin on their arms, mine were abscesses and marks. Then a ballet teacher came up to me and told me I could wear long sleeved leotards, if I wanted to, she said lots of leading ballerinas wear them. She told me I had beautiful arms, that my scars were my battle wounds that had made me the woman I am today. Today I dance and I teach ballet. It brings me so much joy. This painting is me, how I see me. I wish my mam was alive to see me today. I think she would be proud of me. Mam, if you are watching, I dance for you.”
TITLE: Dancer
ARTIST: The View Collective
DIMENSIONS : 297 x 420 mm
signed and numbered, 300 gsm Hahnemulle fine art cotton rag paper
