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Trauma: A beautiful thing

Phoebe Tronc
Write About Art 4
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Trau-ma noun: A deeply distressing or disturbing experience.
Trau-ma n. pl. trau-mas or trau-ma-ta: an emotional wound or shock that creates substantial, lasting damage to the psychological development of a person, often leading to neurosis.
Trauma. It is impossible to predict the plethora of emotional reactions a person will have in response to any catastrophe. But perhaps we can learn to face trauma in a different way, see the beauty in trauma, the possibilities that it creates and the potential for positive changes within our individual make-up. Perhaps the traumatic event is, in fact, the wake-up call a nation has long been waiting for. Looking at the work of artists Judy Watson and Doris Salcedo, we can see that beauty can also be found in trauma. The story behind any artwork is almost never purely fictional. Rather, art can be a statement created in response to harsh societal truths.
Judy Watson is a descendent of the Waanyi people in North-Western Queensland (GoMA, 2012). Her rich Aboriginal heritage is embodied within her highly personal and emotionally challenging artwork. A subtle but dominant portrayal of traumatic experiences is riddled throughout Watson’s work. Her installation Burnt Vessels (2009) was recently displayed as part of the 18th Biennale of Sydney (2012). The vision for this work was ignited during Watson’s visit to Heron Island in 2009 as an artist in residence. This was where the University of Queensland Marine Research Station had burnt down in 2000. Burnt remains of scientific instruments, for Watson, were ‘delicate, resilient survivors of Trauma’ (The Biennale of Sydney, 2012). However, for the scientists, the burnt instruments were ugly reminders of masses of scorched research that went up in flames... The rest of this article is available to subscribers of Eyeline

Judy Watson, burnt vessels, 2009. Found objects, dimensions variable. Installation view of the 18th Biennale of Sydney (2012) at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Courtesy the artist and The University of Queensland’s Heron Island Research Station. Photograph Sebastian Kriete

Judy Watson, burnt vessels, 2009. Found objects, dimensions variable. Installation view of the 18th Biennale of Sydney (2012) at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Courtesy the artist and The University of Queensland’s Heron Island Research Station. Photograph Sebastian Kriete

Doris Salcedo, Plegaria Muda, 2008-2010. Wood, mineral compound, cement and grass (45 units), dimensions variable. © Doris Salcedo. Photograph Ben Westoby. Courtesy White Cube, London.

Doris Salcedo, Plegaria Muda, 2008-2010. Wood, mineral compound, cement and grass (45 units), dimensions variable. © Doris Salcedo. Photograph Ben Westoby. Courtesy White Cube, London.