2019Fuller
2019Fuller
Contact Information
Olivia Fuller
Olivia Fuller
New York, NY
ARTIST STATEMENT:
Mental stress and anxiety often physically manifest themselves in one’s body, making it difficult to function everyday. The cultural stigma against mental disorders make it even more difficult to reconcile the physical toll mental health has on someone. It took years for a proper diagnosis of my anxiety disorder as a young child, with doctors unable to give me proper treatment for my physical ailments rooted in anxiety.
My project explores the effects that severe anxiety has on a person’s body by using analog medium format photography and documenting the physical and very personal process of destroying that film. I photograph nude bodies and use bleach, honey, vinegar, and other destructive materials on the film. This drastic physical change in my images reflects the change that the physical body undergoes when experiencing anxiety over an extended period of time. The tension between a body and anxiety is reflected by the destructive process and visually represents how mental stress and anxiety can become physically manifested in the human body.
I would like to thank the Steven Daniel Smallen Memorial Fund for their generous support.