Hi, my name is Sorrel Mason
I am currently 21 years old and have just graduated from Chelsea College of Arts, having studied a BA in Fine Art.
At the age of two, I was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML) and was given only a 30% chance of survival. Millions of stem cell samples across the world were checked after there were no matches found in Europe. Doctors eventually found a partial match - stem cells were taken from an umbilical cord frozen in Japan - the only match in the world.
My inspiration
When creating my artwork I am most inspired by my journey through leukaemia and my time spent in hospital. My work investigates themes of illness, healing, cancer, infertility and birth. With my paintings, I want to show the experience of having cancer in a positive, uplifting light. Typically, I use oil paints to create figurative and illustrative portraits, depicting memories and scenes from a hospital setting.
'Behind the Curtain'
For my exhibition, I wanted to recreate a hospital bedroom which I named ‘Behind the Curtain’. This piece is comprised of a hospital bed, blue medical curtain, paintings, ceramics and archival film. The paintings illustrate personal moments in hospital, which is then comically paired with the large ceramic fried eggs splattered on the bed and the floor - a symbol I’ve used to represent my own infertility. On the bed there are a series of items that I wore/played with during my time in isolation - a pair of patterned PJs, a small knitted hat, a bag which I used to keep my wires in and my beloved toy ‘Cattycus’. The archival footage in the film was recorded by my father, who documented my life in isolation after I received a stem cell transplant. I want to capture the quiet, unseen moments of being in isolation and having no contact with the outside world. I hope that people can find comfort in seeing my work and to show how joy can be found even within the darkest times.
During my Degree Show, it was lovely to see the response my work received. Many viewers found it an emotional experience, especially seeing the first-hand footage of me in isolation.
I hope that my work has spread some awareness about stem cell banking and joining the stem cell register.