Inspired to paint a woman, about a women's issue, I enlisted the help of my friend. Leah, an actress, moved me by her performance in Cockroach, a play that toured Australia wowing audiences by calling out misogynist behaviour through the hilarity of theatrically performed stand-up and creating dialogue around the #metoo movement as it went.
I asked Leah to get into character during our sitting and saw different sides of her emerge, beyond the kind and calm person I have long known. As she contorted her body, she evoked within my own confronting expressions that I do not dare reveal to the world. Painting Leah in these juxtaposed states gave me the opportunity to reflect cathartically on my own mental health journey, but also that of women historically.
The title 'Silent Hysteria' talks to the practice of women being forced into mental asylums against their will and being "treated" for their “perversions” with a myriad of absurd approaches for centuries, essentially suppressing any free expression that could potentially bring discomfort to the patriarchy.
After all, women are better "seen, not heard," and are "prettier when they smile."
