Jodi Bonassi - This May Impair Your Ability

mixed media on plywood, 17” x 24”

I’ve had a lot of surgeries for various issues over the years so for this series I saved and used materials from the surgery some with blood on them. On your left is my hand reaching up to my insides near my neck to try to keep everything from falling out. Then another brownish part of my arm is disconnected next to the hand. Pink globs are falling out of my mouth near the hand.There are black lines (surgical cuts) and surgical gauze overlapping the death of my identity. I can’t see. To create each painting in this Surgical Series:I draw my images on the plywood (mostly from imagination), using photos of myself loosely just for my facial features. Then I paint with acrylics, adding materials from surgical procedures that I have had and then again paint into some of the areas. These are emotionally driven works, a self portrait about my body. I did not really desire to show these works until now as it is an intimate exploration of the hidden parts of me.