*“The gates of Hell are open night and day; Smooth the descent, and easy is the way: But, to return, and view the cheerful skies, In this the task and mighty labour lies.” *
Virgil (The Aeneid)

Millions of women worldwide have their breasts surgically removed and this body of work is my response.
Using my body as a tool, the work is a mapping of the changing landscape of the female body. It investigates the physical impact of mastectomy, the incising of the flesh, and the resultant mutilation and scarification of the body. Examining the psychological impact of breast loss, the work seeks to explore the role of the breast in sexual identity and perceptions of beauty as dictated by images of the breast in social media. Through the medium of print and photography the work looks at the implications of seeking to replace and reconstruct the breast and how the act of removal forces the female into new performative acts in order to signify sexual Identity including the use of prosthetics.