Close to the Surface – Living with Chronic Illness

Autograph 2026

Curated by Livvy Murdoch

8 - 10 October 2026

Making the invisible aspects of illness visible, artist Antonia Attwood reflects on the experience of living with chronic illness. She explores how we come to understand the bodies we inhabit, when illness makes the body difficult to comprehend. Four years ago, Attwood was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis, a chronic autoimmune condition. Faced with unfamiliar medical language, ongoing appointments and an evolving course of treatment, she found herself having to relearn her relationship with her own body. Attwood reclaims these experiences using photography, sculpture and video, making visible the aspects of illness that often remain unseen. Intimate spaces of rest are made public, microscopic imagery reveals cellular processes, and signs of stress and damage found in the natural world echo the effects of illness within the body.

In memory of Paul Caplan: father, mentor, friend.