These tornadoes are for you

Chelsea van der Bend makes intimate drawings on soft textile, like felt or flannel, in which the focus is often on her sexuality and identity.

“My starting point is the visual translation of my perspective on my own identity and sexuality. My personal experience with mental illness has made me very analytical of my perception of self. The
seemingly impossible motion of closing the gap between who I am and who I think I am, is what my work has come to be about. In its essence, my work is me mapping out my thoughts and patterns, trying to comprehend what it means to be me in the most authentic way. Showing the distorted self-portraits as well as the vulnerable parts side by side, creates a back and forth movement between the cause and effect of my mental health struggles. This body of work is another step closer to home than I’ve ever gone, symbolizing the healing and reflecting that it has taken me to get to where I am.”