Avery Droumtsekas - Illustration

PRICK THERAPY

Through a digital full body portrait and embroidery, Prick Therapy aims to express and explore the restorative power of tattoos to regain a sense of bodily autonomy. For many marginalised people, especially those of which have experienced trauma or assault, the relationship to the body can become increasingly fractured.

I find myself among a collection of folks that have found the process of getting tattooed incredibly therapeutic. The process of trusting another artist with my body, and adorning myself with artworks of my own choosing has helped me re-assemble my relationship with my body, and claim it as my own.

VENUS DE FLYO

JUNO BIRCH ANIMATION

STORYBOARDS

SELF-MADE MAN

Through use of conte sticks, graphite pencils and willow charcoal, I set out to visually represent my experience with the male gaze as a newly realized lesbian. For the first 20 years of my life, I had no idea I wasn’t attracted to men, because I was so preoccupied making myself attractive to men. In discovering my sexuality, I realised that so much of my identity was constructed to cater to male fantasies. This experience, informed by a poignant Margaret Atwood quote that describes “a woman with a man inside watching a woman through a keyhole in her head” inspired the work.

I wanted to represent myself in black and white to nod to the constructed artificiality of the persona I created. To me, black and white harkens back to melodramatic old films, so I wanted to imply that this era of my life and identity was flat, desaturated and all for display. They keyhole and eye represent the male figure in my head, that I was constantly observed by and catered to. The two hands pointing to the iris nod to Michelangelo’s The Creation of Adam to symbolise the cyclical, constructed nature of the voyeur. I created him, but at the same time, he created me