The Chronic Market is excited to welcome Black Ferk Studio of Austria to its growing tribe of chronically ill creatives.
Black Ferk Studio is an art and science collective by Matthias Mollner and Judith Schoßböck dedicated to creating awareness for the unseen and marginalised groups of society, with a big focus on invisible chronic illness, in particular the severe neuroimmune disease ME/CFS, illnesses of the CNS and neurodiversity.
Judith is the artist behind the drawings and is an ex-researcher and neo-artist with severe ME/CFS, a CSF leak and more, who creates solely from her bed (which she calls the “piglet stall” because of the many pink plush animals in it!).
Drawing and painting for Judith started as a form of survival when she wasn’t able to speak, and turned into a helpful passion and means of communication with the outside world when other options are limited. Judith lives in Upper Austria with her parents. Before she became bedbound and ill, she loved to travel, her job at a university, and alternative communities.
Together with her partner and artist Matthias she realises art projects such as exhibitions (f.i. CRASH! 08/2023 in Vienna), performances, sculpures or interventions in public space to create awareness for this devastating illness in a more unconventional way. Her partner also helps with creating professional prints and her parents help with shipping.
“This isn’t always easy and a bit crazy with this severity of illness, but art and activism as a form of creating visibility and connection can go so well together – and create meaning in an otherwise precarious existence. And that our artistic expressions can be meaningful, moving, or a joy for others means a lot,” says Judith.
Click here to shop Judith’s store, featuring original art, prints and custom commissions. You can read more about her current projects and check out more galleries at blackferkstudio.com.