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My Back Tells the Story. Narratives of women with scoliosis

Marta Michalak
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We are taking the subject of scoliosis out of hospitals and doctors' surgeries and into the public space. The exhibition is the result of five months of meetings aimed at creating a space to share the experience of being a woman with scoliosis. During this participatory process, we met other women with the condition for the first time.

Together, we tried to redefine the ‘self-image of illness’ of each of us. This term refers to the subjective perception and representation of a particular health condition by a person with a chronic illness. It is a complex cognitive schema influenced by the patient’s previous experiences, mental state and emotions. Information about the illness can be contradictory and vary in quality, leading to confusion. “Self-image of illness” is dynamic and can change as new experiences and information are acquired.

The exhibition explores the themes of growing up with illness, acceptance, daily functioning, trauma and chronic pain, body-positivity.

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Design by Emilia Rudzka

The exhibition is co-created by: Pola Gontarska, Anna Kotłowska, Paulina Paczuska, Emilia Rudzka, Emilia Soszyńska and anonymous contributors from the Scoliosis Poland Facebook group

Artists contributing: Aleksandra Klóska, Katarzyna Mazur, Nikodem Szewczyk

Involved in the creation of the project: Zofia Dworakowska, Marta Michalak, Marek Jeżewski, colleagues from the seminar group ♡.

Partner institution: Warsaw Observatory of Culture

Realisation: Emilia Rudzka

Exhibition at WOK Lab, 34/50 Marszałkowska St.
Opening: 24 May 2024, 5.30 pm–7.30 pm
exhibition open: 25-26 May, 12.00 pm–7.00 pm

The exhibition was created as a graduation project in the faculty of Social Arts at the Institute of Polish Culture, University of Warsaw.

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