A Thank You for Family Px

A "Thank You" left by several personalities at my art exhibit Family Px: Exploring the Personalities of a Dissociative (DID) System.

Your welcome!

Post-Installation

Family Px: Exploring the Personalities of a Dissociative (DID) System
Installation at Britannia Art Gallery
Mar 7th, 2012
Photo by: Avy Crowchild

Going to your own solo exhibition is nerve-wracking. No one tells you that ahead of time. I've had solo shows before but they were conveniently in one half of the gallery and two other people had the other half. So, this was my first time being The Artist in the room. It reminded me of all those years I lectured and gave workshops on the issue of childhood trauma and dissociation. Didn't matter that I had successfully done well over 200 of them.... I still experienced a case of the nerves just before walking into the place, onto the stage, up to the podium.

So after finishing 3 paintings for The F Word along with the installation (shown on The Express/Shaw TV last night!) and finishing 40+ pieces for Family Px which opened last night, and helping my partner on a family law case..... I am exhausted. Completely and utterly exhausted.

I so appreciated every single person who came out and looked at my work in both shows. Art is a nonverbal language. Without the audience there to read it - it becomes shallow and meaningless. So thank you, everyone. Now to rest before my brain starts ticking on the next series, the follow up pieces and wondering and worrying whether or not what I meant to say with both exhibitions has hit its mark.

Family Px: Opens tonight !

Family Px: Camille (10" x10" mixed media $255)

Art Exhibit Opening: March 7th (6:30 to 8:30 pm)
Britannia Art Gallery
1661 Napier St. Vancouver BC

Hanging this show had to be the hardest, most extensive installation I have ever done of my work. 41 pieces. All 10" x 10" framed in shadow boxes. All come with their own name tag explaining who they are, when they arrived, and how they function within the whole dissociative system. In addition to the pieces and name tags, this exhibition comes with its own photo album.

2-page spread from Family Px: Exploring the Personalities of a Dissociative System Photo Album

This is a portrait of a dissociative identity system (aka multiple personalities). All of it is fictional. Not one of these folks actually exists inside or outside in the real world. However, they are based on common personalities found within a dissociative system and they are based on how a dissociative system works to allow the individual to function within society. It is my hope that with this exhibition we can start to undo some of the misconceptions that surround what is sometimes a controversial issue that falls victim to people's fear and assumptions.

Above is Camille who is the artist in the family. Below is Maxine a personality who struggles with gender and sexual orientation:

Family Px: Maxine (10" x10" mixed media $255)

And then there is Vernon who helps keep the internal dissociative system clean and in repair.

Family Px: Vernon (10" x10" mixed media $255)

And then there are Matilda and John who often get some of the folks inside upset because their internal parenting skills towards the younger personalities often relies on being punitive and abusive.

Family Px: Matilda & John (10" x10" mixed media $255)

Show runs until March 30th with an artist talk on March 21st (7-8:30)

Installing Family Px:

Family Px: Dottie (10" x 10" mixed media) $255

Opens March 7th at 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
at Britannia Art Gallery
1661 Napier St. Vancouver BC

I have spent the last few days preparing to install Family Px: Exploring the Personalities of a Dissociative (DID) System. That means I finished up framing a few pieces, made sure all of them were ready to hang given the gallery system for doing so, inventoried each of them in my handy dandy ArtTracker, photographed each for my archive, and then packed them all in protective wrapping with the help of my sweetie, Dan (thank you!). Because this series is also about a complex, psychological issue, I have also produced a book to go with it which includes the artist statement (see below) and a photo of each personality along with their name tag that describes which each one does within the dissociative system. It has been a big job.

Today, we managed to figure out where it all hangs in the gallery and actually hang about 10 pieces. Only 30 more to go! Will be back at the gallery first thing in the morning to finish hanging it all.

Artist Statement:

The concept of Dissociative Identities Disorder (DID formerly called Multiple Personalities) has been embraced by contemporary society. Unfortunately, popular culture has glamorized and sensationalized this “disorder.” United States of Tara (Showtime TV Series 2009-2011) attempted to give an authentic demonstration of how DID manifests within a domestic scenario, albeit with quite polarized personality-types. Other TV shows like Law & Order and Criminal Minds exploit the idea of different personalities as a means of advancing unique crime plots or solving implausible story impasses usually where someone with DID is the insane murderer. Popular culture, with their limited idea of what DID is, or is not, along with a narrow time frame to work within (51 minutes in an hour-long drama), doesn’t allow for an exploration of the paradigm shift required to understand the intricate, subtle nuances, and complexities of DID. Recently, a writer has come forward disputing the reality of Sybil. Having examined letters between the doctor, Sybil and the author, she claims that Sybil (like “all girls of that era wanted to”) fabricated being multiple to keep her doctor’s attention who believed it because of her own personal biases and a desire for fame and fortune. However, in making these accusations, the author does not, in turn, admit to her own professional biases influencing her dismissal of Sybil’s DID.

Dissociation is not about crazed serial murderers or individuals plagued by promiscuity and drastic deviations in style, voice, and dress. It is about the normal human condition coping with life despite facing extreme childhood trauma that was, and continues to be, untenable and, otherwise, is unbearable. Whereas, in most people, there is usually a singular person with different sides to their personality (i.e., how one behaves in church as opposed to attending a party) in DID there is a plural system of personalities each with their own strengths, life skills, and weaknesses – all of whom share the same body and the same life. Together, they navigate the human experience.

As a support worker, Bernadine Fox worked with thousands of individuals with DID over many years. To counter the misconceptions proffered by popular culture, she has created this series entitled "Family Px: Exploring the Personalities of a Dissociative (DID) System" wherein she employs mixed media assemblage using image, narrative, and objects to reveal typical personalities within DID. She examines how their “jobs” co-exist within their internal environment and, ultimately, how they assist the system to operate in the external world. These portraits include young/old, female/male, and human/non-human personalities. There are approximately 40 of these hung at the Britannia Art Gallery from March 7^th to 30^th, 2012. Each piece is 10`` x 10``framed and is hung with a Name Tag describing that personality and how they contribute to and function within the whole dissociative system.

It is important to note that each one of these portraits is completely fabricated. Although based on typical personalities, none of them actually exist inside or outside of a dissociative system. None are based on any person or personality that Bernadine knows and/or has worked with. It is not uncommon to hear those who don’t believe in the existence of DID, proclaim that people are simply making up these personalities. The truth is that, despite Bernadine’s expertise on the topic, in fabricating this dissociative system she struggled to keep straight who was what. She couldn’t recall names or what they did. She was forced to keep a log of each personality along with a flow chart in her studio to constantly reference her own previous work. And even though she, at times, might recall a name, she couldn’t then also remember what the personality with that name looked like and vice versa. To date, she has only created 40 personalities. She intends to expand this series to include at least 60 more. Many, many people who have DID have hundreds of personalities, keep them straight, while always remembering their names and what they do and why they are there. It is impossible to invent this and pull it all off in therapy while also recalling (and/or fabricating as some would claim) the childhood trauma - without constantly referencing notes. Bernadine challenges any who deny the authenticity of DID to try to manufacture one themselves.

Bernadine will be presenting an Artist's Talk on March 21st from 7 - 8:30 pm at the gallery where she will discuss the issue of dissociation along with the process of producing these "personalities" in mixed media assemblage.

The F Word: Bernadine Fox on Feminism and Art

This is a video of Bernadine Fox produced by The F Word: Exploring Feminism in the 21st Century ....

The F Word: Opening Tomorrow Feb 25th 2 - 4 pm

My installation is up at The F Word: Exploring Feminism in the 21st Century which opens tomorrow on

Feb 25th (Sat) 2-4 pm

at the:

Leigh Community Art Square
#1100 - 2253 Leigh Square Place
Port Coquitlam BC V3C 3B8

in the:

Gathering Place - Livingroom

whose hours are:

9:30am to 7:00pm, Mondays / Wednesdays / Fridays
9:30am to 8:00pm, Tuesdays / Thursdays
12:00pm to 4:00pm, Saturdays / Sundays

and runs until April 2nd, 2012

My next exhibition, Family Px, opens on March 7th 2012 at the Britannia Art Gallery. Two totally different shows with The F Word being three paintings in an installation and Family Px being about 45 mixed media assemblage pieces. Will post information about this next exhibition very soon.

Paintings hung at The F Word: Exploring Feminism in the 21st Century

Ok, so one would think that after all that work and the Hooray it is done! that I should be relaxed. The moment I hung the piece at the show, I realized that the lighting there (bright sunny south facing) was very different than that in my studio (north facing and continuous Vancouver Grey). It turned the colours on the left side of the canvas to a cool grey instead of the warm one I painted in my studio. I immediately wanted to pull out my paint and use a Burnt Seina glaze over the whole left side to knock the colour back and warm it up. I didn't. But I wanted to. But I have restrained myself - even today when I went back to put some finishing touches on the installation - I did not do this. Wanted to. Still want to. But won't. You can be assured though the moment that baby is back in my studio it will be done toot sweet.

This installation has been hard to do. It is one thing painting the three pieces to go in it. It is quite another to take them and try to re-create my studio in a gallery-setting. At the height of my creative energy, my studio suffers from an incredible mess that just gets worse and worse and worse until I am finished whatever series I am working on. I cannot be bothered to pickup paper, put caps on my tubes of paint (oils dry slower than acrylics), or put away stuff. This installation is about Women's Work - WORK - and so I recreated my working studio. Not the one folks come and see during the Eastside Culture Crawl that is all cleaned up and sanitized. No, the one that exists while I am painting. As a woman (and I cringe saying this) it is very hard to prepare for an audience by creating a mess - and yet that is exactly what I had to do. So, I have brought what I use when I create work: paper hung off the painting table, on the floor, rolled up drawings, reference materials, anatomy books, books and clipboards. I have painting mediums (some very old). I brought a chair - cause for folks with disabilities we can only stand to paint for a certain amount of time before we must rest. I brought a painting shirt - cause what we work with and dress in to manufacture our art is not pretty - it is messy and industrial and at times dangerous to our health. I have jars to hold brushes, pots to clean brushes, holders to hold brushes and I have brushes from many contemporary female artists here in Vancouver who have graciously lent me theirs as a part of this installation:

Joy Hanser
Lara Fitzgerald
Monika Blichar
Jono Noble
Meg Troy
Alannah Anderson
June D. Conley
Carol Nottingham Creed
Jeina Morosoff
Peggy Paulson
Lilias Ann J. Cameron
Pat McBain
Deanna Fogstrom
Biljana Zecevic


along with a few others if I can get around and pick them up before Saturday. I also included a sketch book from my granddaughter, Avy, who is an incredible artist in her own right at the young age of 12 and a pen from my friend, Cheratra Yaswen just so we don't forget that art comes in all forms including writing. The one thing that I couldn't do anything about was that the installation is in a bright, relatively new building. A far cry from the warehouse spaces that so many of us paint in.

If nothing else, I want the average person to get that painting is work and women do that work out of their studios and that it is messy work and that it is at times hard, gut-wrenching, soul-searching, jugular-threatening work. I am not sure I like that all that crap will take attention away from my actual painting. I would much prefer to be on my work - but that is not the point of this exhibit. This exhibition is about undoing some of the prejudices and discrimination that women face competing with men for a level playing field in their careers as artists. A major preconception is that women who paint do so in their kitchens where they make pretty pictures as their "hobby" and it doesn't need to be taken as seriously as one would take the painting produced by a man as he works in his studio. Hopefully, this installation will bring home that women, do indeed, WORK in their art practice.