In this series of drawings, Tabitha Powles has responded to the experiences she has faced as a palliative nurse and of her mother’s death. They are a continuation of works that began during her redeployment to a Covid ward during the pandemic, and highlight the difficulties people faced being isolated and separated from their loved ones during hospitalisation.
For these most recent drawings, Tabitha has worked from memory, capturing snapshots, postures, moments and objects that have some sort of symbolic significance. She is interested in what the mind will remember.
Tabitha explores the relationship our society has with death, looking at the relationship between the development of medicine, the need for it and how these impact suffering and death. She is interested in rituals that are practised when someone is facing their own mortality, when they are dying and then, when they have died. She is curious about how to bridge the gap between spiritual and holistic care with modern medicine.
Tabitha has practised as an artist and worked as a nurse in parallel for many years. She has had the opportunity to exhibit her work and has a studio in Catford.
Instagram: @tabitharpowles