Maggot Brain is a portrait tapestry consisting of scrap fabrics, thread, wool, watercolour, polymer clay and beach stones. It is hung in the middle of a room surrounded by blood-stained walls and maggots. The tusked and disfigured human face is covered in blood, its skull cracked open to reveal a brain swarming with maggots. The room is immersive, and on the back side of the tapestry, Anguish hangs.

Maggot Brain is a representation of mental distress, reflecting upon the internal damage that can be caused by the stress of our current society. The meaning of the maggots is subjective – they are here to represent whatever is eating away at one’s mind and soul, whatever anxieties keep you up at night, whatever that negative voice is saying in your head. Maggot Brain was made to visually present both personal and collective mental health struggles. For me, they represent personal struggles with mental health, trauma, and critical voices inside my head.

Unfortunately, due to technical difficulties the backside of this canvas containing the work, Anguish will remain a mystery to the online viewer...

I plan to continue with my art practice, build my own business and increase my portfolio alongside part-time work. I am saving up for a Master’s degree and volunteering at art galleries in and around Cambridge.