October 01, 2024 - October 01, 2024
492 Fehrsen Street, Pretoria, South Africa
The solo exhibition "Illness became her" tells the story of my psychiatric struggles, or what can be described as brain disorders, which affect me daily and sometimes make life unbearable. After a year living in Potchefstroom, my condition worsened, prompting deep questions: why does this affliction appear without warning, and how do I find the strength to keep going? According to my doctor and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), I manage four disorders, each connected to specific parts of the brain: Temporal lobe Epilepsy causing Bipolar Type 2, Anxiety Disorder and Cognitive Disorder. Epilepsy is a chronic condition marked by recurring seizures caused by abnormal electrical activity in the brain. Seizures can cause changes in consciousness, involuntary muscle movements, and loss of bladder control which is very embarrassing, alongside emotional and behavioural changes. After seizures, I always experience postictal symptoms like confusion, fatigue, muscle pain, and cognitive issues. Unfortunately, there is a lack and empathy of understanding among the general public and even highly educated individuals towards these symptoms.
Henri Tajfel's social identity theory sheds light on discrimination against people with epilepsy, suggesting that people categorise others based on shared characteristics like health status, influencing how they are treated. Bipolar disorder, often misunderstood and stigmatized as ‘crazy’, is another focus. Fritz Heider's attribution theory explains discrimination against bipolar individuals, where behaviour is wrongly attributed to inherent traits rather than external factors. In my case, bipolar disorder affects neurotransmitter function, disrupting sleep and mood regulation. Important neurotransmitters involved include serotonin, dopamine, and others crucial for mood and cognitive function. Anxiety disorders, rooted in neurobiology, involve neurotransmitter imbalances and abnormal brain circuitry affecting anxiety levels. Cognitive disorders affect memory and cognitive function, reducing overall mental sharpness and quality of life.
My artworks, digital paintings with photomontages, prominently feature three characters, which is myself, Natty, the giraffe and Hegos the Hyena. Natty represents epilepsy warnings known as auras, and somehow become my guardian but also a prey of Hegos. Hegos represents the four psychiatrically conditions with great force and uses powers such as suicidal thinking, anxiety, and external pressure to increase my vulnerability for the illness. These artworks, colourful and monochromatic, visually capture the complex nature of neurological disorders.
The exhibition aims to educate the public about these neurocognitive disorders often stigmatised as 'crazy illnesses'. After being diagnosed and leaving my job of twenty-five years, I hope to raise awareness that fluctuating emotional states are not mere mood swings but linked to complex neurobiological processes.
