Cait Toenjes

Formed Under Pressure (Beaded Tumours)

Series

“This series reimagines personal trauma as something luminous and strangely beautiful. Each of the eight sculptures represents a physical interpretation of the tumour that once grew inside me, modeled from CT and PET scan data spanning from diagnosis through remission. Transformed into glittering geodes, the forms are encrusted with hundreds of glass beads and semi-precious stones—each bead symbolizing a single cell within a larger, living mass. The colour palette draws from the body itself: reds and pinks echo healthy flesh and blood, while purples, yellows, and oranges evoke bruising, infection, and decay. Through this work, the internal becomes external—rendered delicate, radiant, and whole.”