Barbara Conway

It’s A Pain explores the intense physical stress and pain associated with womanhood, and the disconcerting invisibility that deepens with age. The work centres on the hand — a part of the body that is both expressive and often adorned — yet also one of the first areas to reveal ageing. Scanned images of my hand expose tension through the pressure markings left on the skin whilst manicured: an elegant façade enduring inner stress and pain.

The ceramic forms are permanent impressions of stress caused by pain, resulting in varying sizes and shapes in red and violet tones. A repetitive pink animation communicates the emotional narrative, documenting the compressive action of clay as a release of tension within the body.

Accompanying these are transparent moulds of my hand in two parts. Their transparency reflects the unsettling invisibility associated with ageing in women.