Settling the Past

Reflecting on personal experiences of pain, abuse, bereavement and a lifelong struggle with literacy, Hayden recognises the role painting has played in expressing her emotions in the past.  

Through the past year, taking part in a programme for Adult Dyslexics, she has found the intense experience of working through language has to be particularly cathartic. For this new work, Hayden explores the everyday difficulties and historic traumas experienced by people who have been affected by dyslexia and the trauma caused by abuses of power. The exhibition itself seeks to create a space of calm, a settling space, evoking the peace the artist has found through painting and a feeling of empowerment through words.