Drained
My energy has gone missing,
Disappeared.
Killed by the virus my body is set to fight and fend off.
I plan, I list.
But despite employing all my usual strategies for action,
There is none, only refusal, a dereliction of duty,
No ‘getting on’, no response.
With mind and body bound in a communication I am not party to
No matter how much I will myself
To labour, to go for a walk
To just do all the things I should get on with,
I don’t.
Instead, I drift from cup of tea to cup of tea,
I read, I bathe, and I contemplate.
A selfcare instinct has besieged me and I’m too weak to resist.
I give in.
I accept a book is effort enough, I choose comfort
And allow hot drinks to ease my pain,
Apathy has invaded, and I capitulate.
Damaged Bodies Series
Working between sculpture and drawing, Caroline Ingham’s practice examines the body and our relationship with it at times of vulnerability and bodily doubt* (Creamer, A-M., 2019). Referencing her own experience of chronic illness, her work is both a celebration of the resilience of the human body as well as an acknowledgement of its fragility and ‘misbehaviour’. With a profound interest in materials and an experimental attitude towards making, Caroline enjoys combining a variety of media in her works.
These specific pieces are the culmination of months of trial-and-error working with vegetable dyes, wax, shellac and a variety of different papers to perfect the exact colours, shapes and types of mark she desired. The resulting works reference wax anatomical models, oozing bodily fluids and hint at what might lie beneath our flesh. Both beautiful and repulsive, they present an abstract idea of the body and prompt us to consider its mutability.
In 2020 Caroline completed an MA Fine Art (Painting) at Camberwell College of Arts, University of the Arts London. Prior to this she had many years of experience designing and managing major gallery projects at the British Museum and was latterly Head of Design at the Natural History Museum. She currently works from her studio in Peckham, South London.
Website: Caroline Ingham
Instagram: @carolineingham_paintings