Welcome to the online exhibition of You Look Like You by Michael Sreenan.
Exhibition open 8th November - 13th December 2024 | Redcar Contemporary Art Gallery, 13 West Terrace, Redcar, TS10 1DS
You Look Like You by Michael Sreenan is a body of work based on his lived experience of recovering from a brain injury. The work explores the liminal state of recovery, where things have changed but the future is still unknown.
The work is informed by Michael’s lived experience through prompts and diary entries. However, the ambiguous nature of the imagery allows the viewer to reflect on the quiet, often unsettling, transient periods that shape our growth and understanding of ourselves.
The title refers to the hidden element of dealing with trauma - a person may look like themselves but there may be a lot going on beneath the surface. With 75% of people reported to have experienced a traumatic event within their life - death, breakdown of a relationship, illness - the work explores how we can express something that may be hard to put into words.
““Through the process of making this work, I found comfort in nature and finding new ways to articulate what I was feeling, trying to understand or accept. Being aware of my emotional response to light, shape, and subject were key to creating a body of work that was true to my story but would also allow others to build their own.””
This work is kindly supported by Arts Council England. If you could take some time to give us some feedback it would be greatly appreciated.
About The Project
I wanted the exhibition to be as inclusive as possible and tried to remove any barriers for people to view the work. Emphasis was put on making the gallery a safe and welcoming space whilst allowing the viewer the comfort of deciding the pace at which they view the work. Through the QR code and accompanying text, the viewer is directed to this page where they can view the work at their own leisure, take in some more of the information and follow links to find out more about brain injury and trauma.
To bring the work to as many people as possible lightboxes were displayed across the local area. These give the option for people to view at their discretion, free from the gallery environment, opening times, and in relative isolation. The works were displayed in cultural venues within the Tees Valley and also in public spaces so that the work could be viewed by the general public without having to travel to the gallery. QR codes accompanied the lightboxes to allow people to find out more and may have brought you here!
Contact
Michael - hello@michaelsreenan.com
Gallery - redcarcontemporaryartgallery@gmail.com
https://www.rccag.co.uk/
