Kayleigh Peters West Sussex, United Kingdom
As a Visual Artist and Facilitator, materials are often at the centre of my practice. Disseminating themes of health, wellbeing and connection to earth and nature whilst looking through the lens of personal experience of living with hidden illness that are often taboo in nature.
The connection of material, the body and health are the dialogues that run through Kayleigh Peters’ art practice. Through making with materials there is a connection through craft has been gendered throughout the ages, the act of using these processes offers Peters’ a space to reclaim these crafts from the patriarchy. This exploration through clay, embroidery, and found materials is connected by her experience of living with hidden illnesses and the taboo nature of them. Peters’ work encourages visibility and the fight for better research within the medical industry. Through the connection of auto-biographical making, and her research into health through time the work has led to embodying these visual narratives. Positioning historical ideas, with the myths and legends of Gods and Goddesses, and finding connections back to nature against looking critically at the modern healthcare system relied on today. Peters’ looks at the importance of looking back at how we built our ideas surrounding what should be hidden and who can change the outcome. Reflected in a time where we find ourselves in a time of underfunded healthcare full of gendered biases, the work asks; how we got here and how do we find equality and equity in healthcare.
