Sunday, January 27, 2013

Talking Migraine and Art


Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life :1

I've never actively pursued an involvement in the world of migraine, but again I find myself involved in a related project , Art and Perception. In the past I have been in competitions and exhibitions, been interviewed and written about, having to relate my experiences  re art and migraine. When younger it was sometimes done reluctantly because I didn't want to be reminded of something that was, basically, unpleasant. As I have got older the attacks are less frequent and less intense so now I am not so reluctant to be involved. As part of Art and Perception I am looking forward to meeting up again with Dr Klaus Podoll an expert in migraine art, in an 'in conversation' on March 20th. It's probably the first time that I will be looking forward to a migraine event, possibly because I feel more in control of the beast, and hopefully It will be a positive experience for all involved. Dr Podoll has written a lot about one of my favourite artists, Giorgio de Chirico, so we will  have more than one topic in common. He has pretty well proved that De Chirico suffered from Migraine, which I didn;t know when I picked up on him, or did I,sublimanally? Now, I can recognize and emphathise with, much of his visual vocabulary.
It's a pity The Migraine Man triptych will not be shown in person (only as a copy) but the exhibition will include another triptych, Always Look on the Bright Side of Life, which has only been seen once before. It has emerged from a dark and remote part of my studio to see the light of day in Oxford.