Narratives of dis-ease
Photograph
1989 (photographed)
1989 (photographed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Feminist artist Jo Spence was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1982. She made a series of self-portraits documenting her battle with the disease until her death a decade later. The photographs expressed her physical and emotional state. Her doctor and collaborator Tim Sheard explained, ‘Spence is representing the honest emotions felt living in an unruly body that cannot conform to the pressures of female perfection expected and idealised in Western society.’
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | C-type print |
| Brief description | Photograph by Jo Spence, in collaboration with Dr. Tim Sheard, 'Expunged' from the series Narratives of dis-ease, C-type print, 1989 |
| Physical description | Colour photograph of a nude woman, cropped so her body is visible from neck to abdomen, holding a red, award rosette featuring a pair of breasts in her left hand |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label | Gallery 100, 2016-17:
Jo Spence (1934–1992)
‘Narratives of Dis-Ease’
1989
Feminist artist Jo Spence was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1982. She made a series of self-portraits documenting her battle with the disease until her death a decade later. The photographs expressed her physical and emotional state. Her doctor and collaborator Tim Sheard explained, ‘Spence is representing the honest emotions felt living in an unruly body that cannot conform to the pressures of female perfection expected and idealised in Western society.’
C-type print
Given by Terry Dennett and The Jo Spence Memorial Archive
Museum no. E.400-2010 |
| Credit line | Given by Terry Dennett and The Jo Spence Memorial Archive |
| Object history | Jo Spence made this work in collaboration with Dr. Tim Sheard, after she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1982. She made a series of self-portraits documenting her battle with the disease until her death a decade later. These photographs expressed her physical and emotional state. Her doctor and collaborator Tim Sheard explained, ‘Spence is representing the honest emotions felt living in an unruly body that cannot conform to the pressures of female perfection expected and idealised in Western society.’ |
| Summary | Feminist artist Jo Spence was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1982. She made a series of self-portraits documenting her battle with the disease until her death a decade later. The photographs expressed her physical and emotional state. Her doctor and collaborator Tim Sheard explained, ‘Spence is representing the honest emotions felt living in an unruly body that cannot conform to the pressures of female perfection expected and idealised in Western society.’ |
| Bibliographic reference | Libido Uprising: Mother/Daughter Work, a Collaboration between Jo Spence and Rosy Martin (plus David Roberte), 1987 and 1989, Tate exhibition catalogue, p9 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.400-2010 |
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| Record created | April 8, 2010 |
| Record URL |
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