Emma Hopkins
In an Abnormal Place, 2025
Oil on two layers of canvas
33 x 23 x 4 cm
13 x 9 x 1 5/8 in
13 x 9 x 1 5/8 in
Copyright The Artist
'‘In an Abnormal Place’ is a reflection on the memory of my first pregnancy. An ectopic pregnancy, trapped in my left fallopian tube with no hope of survival. This painting...
"‘In an Abnormal Place’ is a reflection on the memory of my first pregnancy. An ectopic pregnancy, trapped in my left fallopian tube with no hope of survival. This painting represents how the memory of this pregnancy haunted every part of my being. It is emotionally and physically layered and composed in two parts.
First, I sculpted and painted a foetus at the developmental stage my ectopic pregnancy had reached when I was given chemotherapy injections to dissolve it. Then, I painted myself expressionless, mask-like, trapped in silence. A vessel holding the memory of my ectopic pregnancy, unable to articulate the weight of my grief and my fear of it happening again.
The two layers of canvas were stitched together, with the foetus initially concealed beneath the surface. Then in a deeply cathartic act, I cut through my own painted exterior to expose what was hidden beneath. What should have been my baby."
First, I sculpted and painted a foetus at the developmental stage my ectopic pregnancy had reached when I was given chemotherapy injections to dissolve it. Then, I painted myself expressionless, mask-like, trapped in silence. A vessel holding the memory of my ectopic pregnancy, unable to articulate the weight of my grief and my fear of it happening again.
The two layers of canvas were stitched together, with the foetus initially concealed beneath the surface. Then in a deeply cathartic act, I cut through my own painted exterior to expose what was hidden beneath. What should have been my baby."