BRANDED
My piece is based around an article I read on a woman's husband who was mistreated in hospital after suffering severe brain damage following a fatal accident. In his critical condition he was taken full advantage of and left in horrible conditions such as soiled bedding, unwashed , unfed. Several times his wife had visited he was alone facing the wall.
The piece got me thinking on how a person with brain damage can be mistreated in hospital as they sometimes cannot communicate with the hospital staff. This man was a prisoner in his own body and his health and well being deteriorated in this hospital which ironically was a rehabilitation unit to help him get better. Furthermore It led me to the aspect of mental health and how they are a vulnerable target for staff to abuse their position.
My painting depicts a man who is branded as mentally ill I used a bold red colour to establish the fact of a stamp as 'branding' as I feel they can be labelled as this and put into this category. It shows his hand reaching out for help but at the same time is giving away his dignity and pride to the receiving hand. He is giving himself over for hep but handing over himself and pride also. His hand is covering his mouth showing that he is unable to speak his mind. He has no say on what is going on. The rehabilitation unit in the background is a dark and dull place , I used water colour splattered in black to represent this gloom. It that does not always a gaurentee help and sometimes you can enter this place and be worse than before.
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