Artist: Rebecca Zablocki

Title + description: “Dear Chronic Illness” is an exhibition of handmade rugs, found objects, and writing.

Artist Statement:

Within my work, I utilize craft-based techniques, such as rug making and sewing to create objects indicative of domestic spaces, as well as found objects commonly present within medical spaces and chronically ill lives. I use pattern and color to mirror memories of pediatric medical spaces and the monotony of being confined within a bedroom, simultaneously creating a bridge between the perseverance it requires to create a comfortable, healthy environment and body, and the discovery of beauty, joy, and humor in the spaces around us. My process is a personal tool for coping, and my finished work becomes a tool for the viewer. My studio is an extension of my chronically ill life. I create in my home, often while sitting in a place of rest; my bed, couch, floor cushion, or mat. This process must be regenerative, I have no other option. Through my work, I open a window into the world of chronic illness and provide a safe environment that encourages empathy, awareness, and understanding, exploring how we comfort ourselves and one another with beauty and care, and by being a silly goose.

Bio:

Rebecca Zablocki is a chronically ill, interdisciplinary artist based in New England. She creates mixed media, installation-based work about her life as a chronically ill person and caregiver to her disabled partner. She relies on humor and softness to share the messages of her work, currently, predominantly through rug making.