Who do you think you are? by Anastasia Wilson

My artwork is a self portrait. It depicts my emotions surrounding growing up queer and with mental illness in Brisbane and Albany Creek. 

The struggle of finding identity as well as as religious themes are being explored. Growing up in such a culturally rich city has led me down so many different avenues and yet, I always find myself asking questions of the Christian god? Would he turn me away for who I am? Who I love? Would he ask me for more, for my blood? Or would I be punished for a chemical imbalance in my brain? 

My artwork is not a direct reflection of my current state because of school and rules around hair and appearance, but it’s how I see myself. I’ve had an incredibly privileged life and I am eternally grateful for that, but, like a lot of people like me, I find myself craving punishment or someone to blame for things beyond my control. To look out into the universe and ask: ‘why?’, ‘what right do you have?’, ‘who are you to tell me how to live, to accomodate my illnesses?’, is to lay your heart bare on the line. I’ve often been told my problem is too much heart, I believe emotion in its rawest form to be far too powerful to be considered weakness. 

Growing up here has taught me pain, but more importantly, has taught me strength and resilience.