Charlene Liska

What is it like to try to make meaningful art, and live happily too, while suffering from a debilitating condition for many years? It's the need to persevere in the face of social stigma and constraints, and, with a bit of luck, end up landing on one's feet, being happy. I use artistic expression in the form of video, painting, and installation as a way of framing this subject; there's the unmistakable sense of fun and relief in it too, of at last feeling free enough to reveal what had been a dark, long-held secret. In retrospect, this was always the beating heart hidden beneath themes of disaster and sublime transcendence.