Holding On
Holding on is a collection of artworks created during the COVID Pandemic of 2019-2020. Artist Candice Black aimed to create one new project per month, whilst attempting overcome a period of creative block. The artworks explore isolation, mental health, sexuality, and trauma.
A quadriptych portraying the experience of being sectioned, restrained, and injected. The mixed media artworks feature drawings in coloured pencil and painted watercolour. There are people such a nurses and doctors, and birds who hold symbolic meaning in the images. The first two images are point of view, the second two images are outer body experiences.
A quadriptych of collages featuring brightly coloured papers, hand written text, and simple images of people. Some images of people are distorted. There are also drawings of the artist within the collages. Text displays words such as ‘keep it’, ‘look at what you’ve done,’ and ‘you have insight.’ Some collages feature photocopies of hands.
A diptych of pen and ink drawings bordered by hands stamped text. The first image features a sun, a single door in a field of grass, a bluebell flower, and a bear trap. It is bordered by the words ‘Where am I?’ The second image features an eye in the centre of the page, surrounded by dancing figures made of scribbles in red ink pen. It is bordered by the words ‘Who Is it?’
A photographic series featuring photos of the artist’s feet covered in fruit and pudding such as banana and angel delight, mandarin and maple syrup, tomato and cream, strawberry and custard, and pineapple and jelly. The artists stands with her feet against backgrounds of fabric.
A photography series exploring the COVID pandemic through the lens of trying to buy food at the time. The images show a scrap book on a table surrounded by food and drink. The scrap book contains photos of shoppers in queues at supermarkets and floor signs telling people how to move and where to stand. There are cut out pieces of text from news events in the scrap book.
A triptych of photocopied playing cards arranged to show the relationship between the cards and their hierarchies.
A photography series showing just hands wearing nail polish, in various positions, against different backdrops, of material, surrounded by flowers. The hands attempt to communicate through their different positions, such as palms up, and a clasped together.