Elizabeth
Cleary

In Absentia

The work focuses on ideas associated with absence, presence, and the transient qualities of life. The body is used to portray traces and imprints of life, while exploring the existence of the individual through this process of multiple mark-making. The figure seen as an individual’s mark of identification and often considered a typical self-portrait, now becomes a symbol of anonymity which challenges these comfortable assumptions. The work considers the body in relation to restriction and imprisonment. Perceiving the body as merely a vessel or a cage for the self. The chaotic marks growing from the figure signify both death and barbed wire which is reminiscent of prisons and institutions. The series also questions an individual’s placement in life due to the genetic circumstances of their vessel such as gender and race.