+ THE STORM +
Unsettling and tumultuous, THE STORM approaches rapidly, sending out ripples of energy.
Winds howl, waters rise, the body trembles – storm and sickness alike fracture the known world, only to reshape it anew.
Amidst the turbulence, artists navigate uncertainty, seeking sanctuary in THE STORM’s unpredictability, in this autobiographical, multi-disciplinary exhibition.
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THE STORM
Nyisztor Studio
Fremantle, Western Australia
On show 16 – 30 November, 2025
and ONLINE
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Art making is part of our healing journey.
Amanda Alderson + Christina Baltais + Nadeen Brown + Claire B. Bushby + Brad Coleman + Lucinda Crimson + Catherine Higham + Shayne O’Donnell + Annamaria Weldon + Curated by Amanda Alderson
THE STORM explores concepts of safety, sanctuary and turmoil through the lived experience of health, care responsibilities and geography.
Across the artists, recurring metaphors: storms, waves, navigation, fragments and lifelines, frame bodies as adaptive systems and creativity as a mode of survival. Sanctuary and recovery emerge through these works, offering glimpses into endurance, uncertainty and resilience. Art here becomes a way to translate invisible experiences into form, inviting audiences to see vulnerability as shared, creativity as essential, and art as both testimony and tool. In doing so, the exhibition connects deeply personal stories to broader social realities of care, interdependence and human adaptation.
Navigation as a metaphor
“Dead Reckoning explores navigation as a metaphor – pinpointing complex diagnostics in chronic health conditions; and trialling of new treatment plans.”
The storm still hums at the edges
“Symptom Tsunami reflects how “rest” in ME/CFS is not true rest at all, but a kind of survival – lying motionless as the body weathers an unending storm.”
Swallowed by an enormous wave
“Sudden chronic illness feels as though your limp; sick and exhausted body has been swept up and swallowed by an enormous wave.”
Foster collective care and resilience
“I see creativity as a form of faith and a way to foster collective care, resilience, and deeper engagement with the world around us.”
Mirrors my own journey
“The unpredictable nature of monoprinting mirrors my own journey, where control and spontaneity coexist, and each print becomes a unique visual diary of emotion and experience.”
Traces of joy remain
“Traces of joy remain, and there is beauty in the fragments, but exhaustion replaces celebration.”
Sanctuary after the trauma
“Coming home for us was a sanctuary after the trauma and constant medical interventions.”
Who cast light and throw lifelines
“For family and friends – the keepers of lighthouses and buoys – who cast light and throw lifelines when storms gather beneath indigo skies.”
Chronic illness is an enigmatic code
“All flourishing is mutual – Chronic illness is an enigmatic code. Even doctors are frequently stumped. Poetry is my key: a way to translate my condition as an alien from the mainstream into language which can be shared and enjoyed.”
Art as healing, told through the lived experiences of disability, illness, injury, and care.