Surgical Tides

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By Nathalie Brewer (Australia)

Raku clay and rose gold acrylic paint

“Some scars rid you of the capacity to feel anything ever again”
In 2018 I underwent a double mastectomy with immediate implants. I mourned the loss of my breasts, yet in their place were two perfect C-cups. My nipples were perched upon them like molluscs clinging to a rock in a storm. Determined, augmented, numb. These are some of the qualities you inherit from surviving cancer. Sculpting the body with clay allowed me to re-design that which has already been appropriated and to rebuild a part of me that will forever remain lost at sea.

Kissing dad goodbye

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By Nathalie Brewer (Australia)

Raku clay 

In 2017 my father and I were both diagnosed with bowel cancer (before my breast cancer diagnosis later the same year). Unfortunately for my dad, it spread to his liver and stomach. In 2019 he was given a terminal diagnosis and told he has 6 months to live. My father lives in a remote area of Australia, so I don’t get to see him often. I made this life-size replica of my his head so I can still see that twinkle in his eye and give him a kiss on the cheek long after he is gone.