Venus of Hospital
Deborah Eddy
- Sitter: Deborah Eddy
- Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
- Dimensions: 60cm x 45cm
- Representation: This artist represents themselves
About the artwork
Deborah Eddy has been an artist for as long as she can remember, but she only started studying art when she was 60 years old and achieved her doctorate at 68. Her work speaks about the lives of older women.
Venus of Hospital is a self-portrait depicting a soft sculpture figure Eddy made of herself after a distressing stay in hospital.
“I felt as an older woman I was treated without dignity and considered a burden to the medical system… This portrait shows the front and back of me dressed in a hospital gown. The gown offers no dignity. The broader theme is the invisibility of older women and how they can fall through the cracks of the medical system.”
In this work, Eddy separates herself from the negative hospital experience first in a sculpture and then as a portrait, using art as a form of therapy to externalise suffering and reclaim a sense of agency through creative expression.
About the artist
Deborah Eddy is a feminist artist who holds a Doctor of Visual Art from the Queensland College of Art. She uses craft techniques including sewing, knitting and weaving to make sculptures often from unexpected materials such as cleaning products and building supplies. She also paints portraits of these figures. Her work highlights issues such as elder abuse and the invisibility of older women.
