Subjective experience and notions of identity provide motivation for my current practice. I have had five spinal surgeries, two hip surgeries, two knee surgeries and I am waiting for shoulder surgery. This has all been a result of accidents and falls over a period of fifteen years. This has meant my experience of the world as disabled but not severely has had certain implications and I must modify my approach to art making. In my Art research I seek to understand why this experience has had such an impact on me, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. I find that the process of generating artworks helps me to process feelings in regards to physical restrictions, personal loss and long periods of healing and rehabilitation. It has been suggested that I will never be ‘fixed’ and that I will spend the remainder of my life managing pain. I have undergone many hours with pain psychologists to come to terms with my now-altered world. I have my limitations, but I wonder if the act of making will also be an act of healing. Perhaps I will find my self-worth again and reconfigure a new me, not defined by my previous achievements but instead nurturing hope for the future.

Works are for sale and enquires are welcome at e:maria@mariasainsbury.com or p:+64 (0)274979352