Rabia Siddiqui

I have had my Bipolar 2 diagnosis for four years now, and some days I still feel as if I was made wrong, like my brain is what is cursing me. In my day to day, I like to feel cute and charismatic, yet no matter how pristine and put together I appear, there is always this black sludge that creeps out of me. It's always there. What if I could just pour it out? This invisible illness that embodied in my everyday. What would others think of me if they could see my void...

I was only able to receive my diagnosis and get help for my Bipolar and Borderline Personality because I went to a college that provided some form of psychiatry and counseling for its students. After having multiple mental breakdowns, I pursued Fine Arts, the only thing I knew I could rely on. It carried me ever since I was very young. In my sculptural practice, I prefer working with textiles and embroidery as a meditative practice to enter a flow state. My studio work brings me excitement and something to look forward to, and then I get to sit and sew for hours on end. It is my peace. Without a hands-on medium, I don't know where I'd be.

Pourable

A figure covered in floral fabric with a teacup head crouches down to pour out the contents of its brain onto the ceramic plate the figure sits in. 2023

8 x 8 x 6 inches

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