Earlier this year, I had my appendix removed. It was extremely surreal for me to undergo surgery on this mysterious organ I had never thought twice about. However, evidently, when your appendix gets infected, it can explode and kill you. And that is what's called "Appendicitis."
graphite on paper - 8.5"X10" - 2010The routine surgery went off without a hitch, and i got a solid week of glorious recovery time. I would have loved see my mangled appendix in person (dare I say, keep it?), of course I had no such luck. Instead I received a blurry, nasty photo of my useless, formerly life threatening organ. I thought it was interesting that the only evidence I had of my appendix, besides my swollen, shaved belly and a few scars, was this vague photo that gave me no real information as to what had been inside me for 24 years. I had no real sense of scale nor any indication as to what it should have looked like in its healthy state.
acrylic on board - 40"X 30" each - 2010The idea that I had no information on my appendix before it was removed, and little more information after, was interesting to me and I wanted to somehow convey that feeling of bewilderment. I made sketches and paintings of the photo of my appendix, photos of me in the ER and my stomach before and after the operation. I then disassembled the paintings, and re arranged them using a random number generator.
graphite on paper - 10 1/4"X8 1/4" - 2010The resulting images show the "before" experience and the "after" experience.
"APPENDIX- before" acrylic on board - 30"X40" - 2010
"APPENDIX- after" acrylic on board - 30"X40" - 2010
In addition to providing a light into my own experience having my appendix removed, I am interested in conveying the multiple meanings of “appendix.” Not only does the word refer to portions of various internal organs and systems, but it is also used as a space for additional information at the end of a written document or narrative. The information in the appendix, while not necessary to understand the general idea of the body it is attached to, helps refine and contextualize the main structure. This idea reflects my stance on my art making in general. While this work may not be considered "Illustration" in the traditional sense, it still attempts to evoke an otherwise abstracted emotion to the viewer. If anything, I feel making work like this informs my imagemaking ideation and creation.
As an illustrator and designer by trade, I am interested in processing information through narratives and figurative images to be communicated to an audience. Yet there are some instances where it is impossible to create an accurate, concise visual statement based on the amount of information the artist has. I went through surgery to remove an organ I had hardly paid attention to. I had sparse knowledge on that part of my body, and having it removed through surgery did little to change this. This work presents my experience of processing all that was left of my lost organ; not knowing it before and not knowing it after.