Maddie Maclean 

PAINTING   

I work across painting, sculpture, photography, writing and installation. My most recent installation portrays the dissection of a breakdown through a complex examination of portraiture. Each use of colour is symbolic, suggesting each stage of a breakdown in my subject. The objects including glasses and bottles reveal a specific period of time, while the text which has been etched into the glass reflect the sitter’s state of mind. The juxtaposition of objects against the painted portraits, which are mounted onto location photographs, signal each stage of the breakdown. 

My work is influenced by art group Pharmacopoeia and Suzie Freeman. In addition, my understanding of mental health issue is informed by my interest in female perspectives in literature, and through conversations with women whose mental health has been misunderstood, misdiagnosed, and mistreated. My work attempts to engage with the relationship between an individual’s struggle to articulate problems and to receive the appropriate treatment. The correlation between the signifying objects and paintings in my installation attempt to present a portrait of the subjects decline from a feminist perspective.