Maybe it was the Chicken Pox?

Please note: this project is still in progress.

Maybe it was the chicken pox? (2022–present) is Antonia Attwood’s personal exploration of chronic illness, developed following her diagnosis with Psoriatic Arthritis. Using micro photography, painting, video, and sculpture, Attwood visualises the internal realities of living with a chronic autoimmune condition.

Central to the project is her examination of the overproduction of skin cells—a key symptom of her illness. Through microscopic photography, she captures these cells in intricate, crystalline forms. She also uses latex in her paintings to mimic the way skin cracks, clumps, and falls away, offering a tactile representation of her body’s internal processes.

Alongside these works, Attwood includes photographs of nature, drawing parallels between organic imperfection and the unpredictability of illness. These connections help her process her condition while inviting viewers to see beauty in what is often perceived as grotesque.

She is also creating large-scale maquettes using photographs of her joints, overlaid with mould and connected with split pins. These sculptural pieces evoke the mechanical fragility of the body and mirror the breakdown of joints in Psoriatic Arthritis, while referencing natural decay.

In a related video piece, Attwood films a close-up of her mouth as she reads a list of medications. The names grow increasingly complex and harder to pronounce, highlighting the alienating and overwhelming nature of medical language.

Through these layered, multisensory works, Maybe it was the chicken pox? offers a nuanced, empathetic insight into the often invisible experience of chronic illness.

To see more about about the project please visit www.thepoorlyproject.com/tales/antonia-attwood

Header Image Courtesy of The Poorly Project