The Poorly Project

10/10/2026

Marking the finale of her work-in-progress solo exhibition ‘Close to the Surface: Living with Chronic Illness’, artist Antonia Attwood sat down for an in-conversation with curator Mariana Marinho de Lemos 🗣️

Through the conversation, Antonia was able to share her creative beginnings as she explored the lived experience of mental health conditions.

The talk continued with details on her collaborative project ‘The Empathy Machine’ with UCL PEARL and the gradual expansion of her practice to explore her psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis diagnosis.

Joined by the exhibition’s curator Livvy Murdoch, ‘Close to the Surface: Living with Chronic Illness’ brought gallery-goers, advocates, patients and artists to a closer understanding of what it means to live with a chronic health condition, its artistic reveal and how creativity can cultivate empathy.

But the exhibition’s journey doesn’t end just yet. Antonia will be taking selected works from her solo exhibition into our upcoming collaborative exhibition ‘Tracing the Unseen’ at Creative Health Camden 👏

A round of applause for Livvy, Antonia and Mariana! We hope we can share many more moments like this.

08/10/2026

08/10/2026

Yesterday evening, artist Antonia Attwood held her exhibition ‘Close to the Surface: Living with Chronic Illness’ at Autograph

Curated by Livvy Murdoch , the exhibition offered visibility to the invisible reality of chronic illness. Through conspicuous creations beheld by gallery-goers, Antonia equips her creative practice of photography, sculpture and moving image to cast away the shadows and shed light to her lived experience with psoriasis and psoriasis arthritis.

Chains of medications infinitely spin opposite an arched sunbed. A pillow offers rest for those who may need it, and skin samples are magnified and nestled in a neat row of specimen boxes.

Latex paintings mimic the appearance of psoriasis, whilst photographic prints analogies the relationship between tree burls to the occurrence of Enthesitis in psoriasis arthritis.

To celebrate and further discuss the exhibited works, Antonia and curator Mariana Marinho de Lemos will sit down for an in-conversation on 10th October (15:00-16:00).

Well done to Antonia and Livvy 👏

15/09/2026

Last week, we had a preview into Collate Lobby ‘s part lounge, part hotel suite, part foyer launch exhibition, featuring the work of our Poorly Artist Christopher Kelly Christopher Kelly 🧶

Christopher designed and crafted an almost overgrown pendulum tassel. Hanging within the Collate Lobby exhibition - you cannot help but admire the smooth beech wood against leather and streams of cotton.

You can witness Christopher’s work at Collate Lobby’s exhibition at Yorkton Workshops until 20th September.

08/09/2026

When grief enters our lives, it becomes something that is sensitively navigated. And much like grief, chronic pain became a subject of careful administration for Edward (Edek) Thompson.

‘Behind This Mask I Could Disappear into The Night, But Brother, That’s Not What We Agreed’ (2023) explores the unspoken, mutual agreement between Edek and his deceased brother: to never concede to suicidal thoughts or ideations caused by chronic pain or illness.

Side by side, the Mighty Horses speak to the relationship between Edek and his brother. Sharing resilience through the symbolic gift of a spider plant and chanting affirmations, the piece honours Edek’s brother and savours their memories.

Learn more about how Edek uses creativitiy to honour grief in the latest chapter of The Poorly Project 📚

31/08/2026

Turning the conversation around health to the very planet we inhabit, The Poorly Project introduces artist Edek Thompson...🌏 Edward Thompson

The ecological future and health of planet Earth remain jeopardised by climate change, aggravating eco-grief and anxiety.

In response, artist Edek Thompson creates a future mythology characterised by devastating, apocalyptic landscapes and outlandish, mutated creatures as consequences of climate change.

Together with his apocalyptic vision, Edek purges a personal journey of loss, grief and chronic pain.

Along with his creative practice, Edek leads Doodle Chat Doodle Chat - a Leeds-based, peer-to-peer support group offering community and creative engagement.

The Poorly Project ventured to Redcar, North Yorkshire and toured Edek’s exhibition ‘Apocalypse Remix’ at Tees Valley Arts The Redcar Palace .

Take a seat in this artistic landmark of community, cataclysm and care as we explore Edek’s practice and what it means to be a disabled artist imagining mankind’s comedic, terrestrial finale.

📖Ready to explore at thepoorlyproject.com, link available in bio!

18/07/2026

Throughout her body of work, Chloe enlivens aesthetic considerations within accessible design, uniting refined functionality with considered ornamentation and strengthening the experiential value of her practice.

The greater the sensitivity to aesthetic considerations, the greater a mobility aid or assistive device can be recognised as a medium for self-expression and customisation, branching beyond pure functionality. This is preserved through ‘Caress’ (2026), exhibited in the duo-exhibition ‘Blind Spot’ with artist at

“To me, I want to give those moments of adornment, care and glamour to people with access needs. And I want them to feel beautiful and celebrated when they need to rely upon objects to help them”

Turn the page to learn more about ‘Caress’ at thepoorlyproject.com

11/07/2026

A digital painting laser-etched into wood and framed by velvet, ‘The Carer’ (2026) captures a moment of bodily proximity between a carer and wheelchair user - these figures being Chloe’s own parents.

Recollecting moments of photography with her family, Chloe noticed a quiet shift over time. With each time-distinct photograph, Chloe would find her father gradually kneeling so that he would share the same eye level as her mother. With his hand resting against her wheelchair, this action would mirror common affections and closeness towards a loved one.

Much like the unspoken language shared between carer and caree, this simple act of closing the physical distance reflected the instincts that develop through caring. It revealed a growing appreciation for the wheelchair - not as a separate being, but an extension of the person he loves. As Chloe describes, a carer is “someone who’s just consciously there.”

Inspired by vintage 1920’s rosettes awarded to first-place winners, Chloe champions this celebration of the disabled experience and the selfless carers within their lives, finding an eurythmy within this one-of-a-kind relationship and reminding us of the soundless refrain of care.

📍Learn more about ‘The Carer’ by visiting thepoorlyproject.com or head to our bio

01/04/2026

Our visit to continues 🗺️

Led by curator Karim Sultan, we had the chance to witness the Artist studios of Bethlem Gallery - the spot where the creative discovery, research and experimentation begins.

The support of Bethlem artists is sustained over time, allowing each artist to form their own artistic identities, techniques and professional networks. Artists are able to establish themselves confidently within the arts.

The work of Bethlem Gallery is inspirational and one we aspire to emulate one day! Thank you to Sophie, Anna, Isobel and Karim for sharing more about what Bethlem Gallery achieves.