mindy SIZEMORE

         Leiomyosarcoma is a body of work that reflects my experience as a cancer survivor by creating ritualistic scenes laden with personal metaphor. I was diagnosed at nineteen and I found myself questioning why I was chosen to suffer through this experience. I felt that I had sacrificed parts of my body as well as my youth.  Routinely attending doctors’ appointments, having blood drawn, and holding my body completely still to have scans taken felt like some kind of worship. I saw a connection between my feelings and actions and those of ritual behavior. Ritual practices strive to control the uncontrollable and give meaning and reason to the unknown. Medical imagery is used throughout my work to help the viewer understand the connection between the mysticism and surreal scenes they are seeing and the tie it has to my personal life.