Art as a way of breathing in the world and returning it

My practice is rooted in experimentation, curiosity and a search for creative freedom.

I am led by an ongoing exploration of materials, processes, sensations and ideas. Rather than committing to a particular medium or technique, I choose whatever feels most capable of expressing the experience I am trying to honour. Experimentation allows me to return to the things that have always fascinated me, without the pressure to make them fit a particular style or expectation. At its core, my practice is a search for freedom — freedom of being, freedom of expression, and the freedom of not knowing exactly what comes next. It's also a way of honouring life in all its forms and the complexity of the human experience.

As my practice progresses and evolves, the connections between all the different mediums becomes deeper and more complex. My art is becoming an extension of the way my body interprets the world.

THROUGH A LENS

Photography

Photography as a means of connection and honouring the wonder.

EXPRESSION

Mixed media

My work keeps evolving and the boundaries are getting less and less defined. The mediums I choose are an extension of whatever creative process I am exploring. Sometimes the mediums are found along the way, chosen by the process rather than a decision that is made before hand.

THE SELF

Self Portraiture

Deeply influenced by my experience in movement and performance, self-portraiture is a way of expressing the unsaid and exploring different ways of being. It asks: who am I beyond the expectations and constraints of my social persona?

Collaborations

They said we were past our prime.

They said we were declining.

The word hormonal was spit out like a curse.

From their point of view, there was only loss from now on—

as far as our (apparently foggy) imagination could see.

So we took their words and adorned our skin.

“There you are, society—is this what you think of us?” we asked, boldly.

“Hysterical,” they whispered under their breath,

avoiding our eyes,

as if we had suddenly become invisible.

So we let those words shine in the bright sun.

And then we let them run.

Run under fresh water—

down our faces, down our arms,

tinting our hair, our hands.

We let them run until they blurred,

until they transformed,

until they became unreadable.

Until they became what they truly are:

random marks.

Words we can wash off.

Stories we refuse to embody.

This is the very first part of a project about the menopause, developed by two women, two friends, two artists, two soul sisters, who are going through this period of transformation. This project is personal. It's our interpretation of it. We are not implying our experience is everyone's experience, this is our personal artistic interpretation of this stage of life and the invisible, unspoken tension we feel it can carry. But as it is, we are open to hear about other people's experience of menopause. How they feel it or don't feel it. How they relate or not with these images. Join our voice to ours, share it, say it, write it. Use these images and words as a starting point

Artistic Concept:Karen Hopkins and Mara Cabral

Photography and editing: Mara Cabral

Photography selection: Karen Hopkins and Mara Cabral

Model: Karen Hopkins

Words: Mara Cabral