I first started to suffer from M.E when I was 15, after Glandular Fever (although I was not formally diagnosed until I was 21). Following this I was unable to work or study for the next 4 years, spending a great amount of time in bed, suffering with intense pain throughout the body, horrendous headaches, dizziness, sore throats, nausea and an exhaustion like I had never felt before in my life.
At the age of 25, I started to feel much stronger with the help of both a M.E Specialist & a Reiki Practitioner I had a keen desire to explore my creativity and applied to do Foundation in Art & Design and then on to complete a BA at the University of the Arts, London.
I wanted to try and find ways of illustrating and communicating this ‘invisible’ illness that had haunted me for so many years, the emotional and physical experience of suffering from such a painful, debilitating and controversial illness, to give it an identity, an image, and to understand further the ‘domino effect’ of both the pain and the fragility of the body.
At the heart of my work, I also draw on my mixed Indian and English heritage for inspiration, placing a strong emphasis on cultural identity and visualising human emotion. I see something beautiful in everything that is disregarded, fragmented, weathered & torn and love to enhance the beauty that is found in unexpected places. I have a strong passion for photography/lens based art, collage, found ephemera and installation.
It has been a slow road to recovery and I am still incredibly mindful of every decision that I make in my life and the impact it will then have on me both physically and emotionally.
Raising awareness for M.E is incredibly important to me and is a project that is continually evolving.
I am proud to have been one of the artists for ‘MEAction Postcards to Doctors Initiative’ 2019 and very excited to be a part of Chronic Marketplace, which is a wonderful platform that enables artists to connect from all over the world and share both personal experiences and art.
Story
I first started to suffer from M.E when I was 15, after Glandular Fever (although I was not formally diagnosed until I was 21). Following this I was unable to work or study for the next 4 years, spending a great amount of time in bed, suffering with intense pain throughout the body, horrendous headaches, dizziness, sore throats, nausea and an exhaustion like I had never felt before in my life.
At the age of 25, I started to feel much stronger with the help of both a M.E Specialist & a Reiki Practitioner I had a keen desire to explore my creativity and applied to do Foundation in Art & Design and then on to complete a BA at the University of the Arts, London.
I wanted to try and find ways of illustrating and communicating this ‘invisible’ illness that had haunted me for so many years, the emotional and physical experience of suffering from such a painful, debilitating and controversial illness, to give it an identity, an image, and to understand further the ‘domino effect’ of both the pain and the fragility of the body.
At the heart of my work, I also draw on my mixed Indian and English heritage for inspiration, placing a strong emphasis on cultural identity and visualising human emotion. I see something beautiful in everything that is disregarded, fragmented, weathered & torn and love to enhance the beauty that is found in unexpected places. I have a strong passion for photography/lens based art, collage, found ephemera and installation.
It has been a slow road to recovery and I am still incredibly mindful of every decision that I make in my life and the impact it will then have on me both physically and emotionally.
Raising awareness for M.E is incredibly important to me and is a project that is continually evolving.
I am proud to have been one of the artists for ‘MEAction Postcards to Doctors Initiative’ 2019 and very excited to be a part of Chronic Marketplace, which is a wonderful platform that enables artists to connect from all over the world and share both personal experiences and art.
Website: www.natashabhatia.com
Email: mail@natashabhatia.com
Instagram: @natashalbhatia
Twitter: @natashabhatia