Alison Clark
Reliquary
Photography
2019
Photography
36" x 36"
Working through the pain of wisdom teeth extraction and examining the history of veneration through art.
“In 2019 I was convinced to get my wisdom teeth taking out without general anesthetic. Two of my teeth were crushed during the extraction. It was by far the worst pain I've ever experienced. At the end of it I was given the two remaining teeth to take home with me, and I was struck by how powerful they felt to me. They're object that directly represents my strength through that moment of intense pain and also a reminder to take care of and advocate for myself. At the same time I was learning about the practice of Reliquaries in christian art and thinking a lot about who's bodies we've historically chosen to venerate. I combined these two trains of thoughts in this piece, constructing a 2 dimensional reliquary out of images of my body and my environment to house a depiction of my wisdom tooth. ”