POST TRAUMA
Jennifer Diamond Cancer Resource Library
June 8th, 2017 - Summer 2017
Three years out from my diagnosis, I place myself in the moment of time in which we emerge from the immediacy of a traumatic experience and begin to consider what happened to us. To say that cancer overtakes your life is a gross understatement; it fully consumes it. And it generally does so in a way that leaves behind both physical and mental scars. Cancer patients often have to contend with varying degrees of post-traumatic stress (PTS). We can experience anything from the shock of diagnosis to heightened anxiety and depression, to substance abuse. However, many patients will also note that there is good that can come from cancer, now termed post-traumatic growth (PTG). This sentiment can rapidly devolve into meaningless cliches though, so for me personally, Krista Tippett best captures the nuance of that idea: “the things that go wrong for you have a lot of potential to become part of your gift to the world.” So while I have found and continue to find myself experiencing post-traumatic stress, I have also had and continue to have experiences of post-traumatic growth. The work in this show occupies and recognizes that space of post-trauma duality, of both stress and growth.
Viewing trauma as a time period, I can step into the role of personal historian; able to look back and reconsider not only what was, but also consider what that means for the present. As I emerge from the immediacy of trauma, I’m able to look at these objects from an almost archival perspective. Therefore these new works are less art and more artifact, drawing from my own art historical background. I do not want to create anything new; instead all of the work has been created from things that existed before my decision to use them as art; things that were activated by my body going through cancer and are now positioned as purely aesthetic. They were functional at one point; they served a purpose, but no longer do other than to serve as evidence. Now they can be art. These are objects that force one to acknowledge the presence of a trauma, as trauma expert Bessel van der Kolk describes “a living memory of what was.”
Sekhmet, Photographic print of funeral mask, 37½ x 56⅜”, 2017
Funeral Mask, Artist’s radiation mask, 24k gold leaf, lapis lazuli, 15 x 12 x 10”, 2017
Funeral Mask, Artist’s radiation mask, 24k gold leaf, lapis lazuli, 15 x 12 x 10”, 2017
Funeral Mask, Artist’s radiation mask, 24k gold leaf, lapis lazuli, 14 x 8 x 9”, 2017
Funeral Mask, Artist’s radiation mask, 24k gold leaf, lapis lazuli, 15 x 12 x 10”, 2017
Patient Experience, An Experience in Patience, An Excess, Artist’s medical papers (500), Site specific installation, dimensions variable (108 x 164”), 2017
Brushstrokes (after Hannah Wilke) [Fossilized], Clear polyester resin, artist’s hair, 6 x 6” each (total of five), 2017
Brushstrokes (after Hannah Wilke) [Fossilized], Clear polyester resin, artist’s hair, 6 x 6” each (total of five), 2017 (detail)
Brushstrokes (after Hannah Wilke) [Fossilized], Clear polyester resin, artist’s hair, 6 x 6” each (total of five), 2017 (detail)
Brushstrokes (after Hannah Wilke) [Fossilized], Clear polyester resin, artist’s hair, 6 x 6” each (total of five), 2017 (detail)
Brushstrokes (after Hannah Wilke) [Fossilized], Clear polyester resin, artist’s hair, 6 x 6” each (total of five), 2017 (detail)
Brushstrokes (after Hannah Wilke) [Fossilized], Clear polyester resin, artist’s hair, 6 x 6” each (total of five), 2017 (detail)
All of the Pills I’ve Taken from Then till Now, Artist’s empty pill bottles, Dimensions variable, 2017
Twelfth Cycle
March 7th - March 11th, 2016
For my twelfth and final cycle of chemotherapy I staged a series of performances. I performed each night during my week of treatment.
These performances were in the spirit of an homage of sorts to other artists whose work had been an invaluable influence for my own post-diagnosis practice. Additionally, I wanted to bring illness and its treatment into the public space in this final chemo series; each performance began with Zofran and ended an hour later with Temodar.
The series was graciously hosted by Los Angeles' Gal Palace, 3rd SPACE, The Women’s Center for Creative Work, and The Situation Room.
All documentation thanks to Allison Le.
HOW ARE YOU (performed with Sydney Snyder), performance still
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Illness must be beautiful, Patient must be beautiful, (after Marina Abramović's 1975 Art must be beautiful, Artist must be beautiful), performance still
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I am not my illness, am I my illness? I am my illness, (after Lauren Potts' I am Not My Illness), performance still
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Untitled, performance still
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Chemoglam no. 1, 2015
Chemoglam no. 2, 2015
Chemoglam no. 3, 2105
Chemoglam no. 4, 2015
Chemoglam no. 5, 2015
Chemosmear no. 1, 2015
Chemosmear no. 2, 2015
Chemosmear no. 3, 2015
Chemo mask no. 1, 2015
Chemo mask no. 2, video still, 15 seconds, 2015
Chemo mask no. 3, 2015
Chemoscape no. 1, 2015
Chemoscape no. 2, 2015
Chemoscape no. 3, 2015
Chemoscape no. 4, 2015
Chemoscape no. 5, 2015
Chemo Xmas no. 1, video still, 15 seconds, 2015
Chemo Xmas no. 2, video still, 15 seconds, 2015
Chemo Xmas no. 3, video still, 15 seconds, 2015
Chemo Xmas no. 4, video still, 15 seconds, 2015
Chemo Xmas no. 5, video still, 15 seconds, 2015
Brushstrokes 1 (after Hannah Wilke | for David Bowie), 2016
Brushstrokes 2 (after Hannah Wilke), 2016
Brushstrokes 3 (after Hannah Wilke), 2016
Brushstrokes 4 (after Hannah Wilke), 2016
Brushstrokes 5 (after Hannah Wilke), 2016
Chemo Valentine no. 1, 2016
Chemo Valentine no. 2 (Sweet Treatment inspired by Tania Katan), 2016
Chemo Valentine no. 3 (Sweet Treatment inspired by Tania Katan), 2016
Chemo Valentine no. 4, 2016
Chemo Valentine no. 5 (after Micol Hebron), 2016
Chemo Valentine no. 6, 2016
Chemo Valentine no. 7 (Pain and Pleasure after Bob Flanagan and Sheree Rose), 2016
Chemo Valentine no. 8, 2016
Chemo Valentine no. 9, 2016
Video, 54 minutes, 2014
Video, 11 minutes, 2015
Art+Illness, Art+Excess, graphite on paper, 30 x 22", 2014
...but what if I need groceries?, graphite on paper, 22 x 30", 2014
Cancer, 36 x 24", 2014
![Brushstrokes (after Hannah Wilke) [Fossilized] , Clear polyester resin, artist’s hair, 6 x 6” each (total of five), 2017](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/55e236bae4b0088b5f1b5035/1501954092266-60X2589TA0EHKU7O9YUK/IMG_3463.JPG)
![Brushstrokes (after Hannah Wilke) [Fossilized] , Clear polyester resin, artist’s hair, 6 x 6” each (total of five), 2017 (detail)](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/55e236bae4b0088b5f1b5035/1501954368354-BX80LD6W04J2X93UQ6IA/IMG_3465.JPG)
![Brushstrokes (after Hannah Wilke) [Fossilized] , Clear polyester resin, artist’s hair, 6 x 6” each (total of five), 2017 (detail)](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/55e236bae4b0088b5f1b5035/1501954373419-ZQX5ZJF432OAQZCDX847/IMG_3466.JPG)
![Brushstrokes (after Hannah Wilke) [Fossilized] , Clear polyester resin, artist’s hair, 6 x 6” each (total of five), 2017 (detail)](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/55e236bae4b0088b5f1b5035/1501954373100-OIBHCU3PZ0GXHRLVUWO8/IMG_3467.JPG)
![Brushstrokes (after Hannah Wilke) [Fossilized] , Clear polyester resin, artist’s hair, 6 x 6” each (total of five), 2017 (detail)](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/55e236bae4b0088b5f1b5035/1501954377861-32KG217VQFIGM5CSP9H0/IMG_3468.JPG)
![Brushstrokes (after Hannah Wilke) [Fossilized] , Clear polyester resin, artist’s hair, 6 x 6” each (total of five), 2017 (detail)](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/55e236bae4b0088b5f1b5035/1501954378209-83Q06O5GVU9JN5P8C6N5/IMG_3469.JPG)
