| 2024
Self Portrait
Work Andi Walker · Photography Artist’s own
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This work explores identity and the body using blood as medium and metaphor.
Symbolizing life, ancestry and conflict, it evokes vulnerability while challenging taboos. Through visceral self-portraiture, it connects body and textile, with exposed seams emphasising fragility and inviting viewers to reflect on blood's profound and contentious symbolism.
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The process borrows techniques from quilting, incorporating vintage, unbleached linen. The fabric is cut into strips and when resewn, replicates my height. These strips are placed in a dish of blood, where the fabric absorbs the liquid through capillary action - a natural and unpredictable process that reflects the organic rhythms of the body. This method becomes central to the practice, emphasizing both the material’s unpredictability and its connection to life’s fragility.
Once dyed, the fabric is reconstructed into a continuous length, with visible seams that create an irregular surface pattern. These seams highlight the act of assembly, mirroring the vulnerabilities and imperfections of the body. The result is a tactile and symbolic representation of identity that blurs the boundaries between self and other, body and object.
By using blood as a medium, the work challenges viewers to confront their own discomfort, inviting reflection on the profound and contentious nature of blood as a material, a universal yet deeply personal symbol of life and mortality.