spiculated portraits

When Fletcher asked her surgeon what her tumours looked like, the images could not be opened. Rather than wait, she started drawing from imagination.

Working with retired surgeon Murray Pfeifer, who specialised in breast and vascular surgery in Southland for more than 40 years, Fletcher developed a series of 12 large-scale ink drawings. Spiculated refers to the irregular, spiked appearance of certain breast tumours on imaging, a word that is both clinical and strangely alive. The drawings translate that language into something you can stand in front of, blending medical knowledge with personal interpretation.

Acquired by the Invercargill Public Art Gallery, NZ, permanent collection, 2024.

spiculated portraits
2024
series of 12 drawings
ink on Fabriano paper
1680 x 4000mm