Synkroniciti is honored to welcome visual artist Sarah-Chastity Johnson from Ontario, Canada with selections from her series A Peek Through My Looking Glass, by Sarah J. Six figural paintings on black backgrounds–five acrylic works and one pen and lead–bear witness to specific traumatic events. “These autobiographical accounts are what I, and many other traumatized women, once adverse children, have endured. By others and what society deems self-infliction.” Our set begins with Fading. A small girl is hunched in darkness in the lower left corner, her face hidden against her knees. The color of her soul is fading into a dusty white, but is not yet gone. The Final Act I shows a nude woman on her side. All of the color has drained from her and her face has been painted and then scratched out. Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) occurs when a person develops multiple personalities because of trauma. Sarah J shows how this feels in the moment. The obscured face is an edit made by a different identity than the painter: a “little,” a child. In The Final Act II, the nude woman is hunched over, turned away from us, a broken red heart on her back as she clenches shoulders and glutes, hair streaming. Her body is a bright, burning white and vibrates with brutal energy released by Sarah J’s aggressive application of paint. Encore is the darkest moment of this set. The nude lays upon her side in fetal position. Her hair and recognizable physical features seem to have burned away, leaving her dehumanized and alien. Blood flowers from her chest, pooling into the darkness beneath her. At this moment, Furious Angel arrives. This pen and ink creation is different from the paintings, a more abstract way of summarizing trauma. White words appear on a black background, taking the shape of a woman’s hair, framing her head and neck, which are black as the page. These words are a list of traumatic experiences, their symbols and effects. It’s a harrowing read, but these things can’t be hidden or glossed over without becoming ingrained–the deeper they sink, the more they control they gain. The final painting of the set is Sweet Release. The nude woman is painting. Behind the canvas crouches a small figure, one hand up in a gesture of self-protection. Art gives a way for inner voices and selves to dialogue, providing an opportunity for healing. It isn’t easy or without risk, but it makes life livable. “I kept getting back up. I believed there was a better life with better people who would admire and adore the unicorn that is me.”
Experience A Peek Through My Looking Glass in Synkroniciti’s “Vulnerable” issue, available here: https://synkroniciti.com/the-magazine/purchase-individual-issues/. You don’t want to miss this deeply moving, deeply vulnerable work and profound strategy for survival. It’s nothing short of heroic.
Sarah-Chastity Johnson is an extraordinary visual artist working in several media, exploring the human condition from the perspective of a woman who has experienced and survived domestic violence and severe childhood adversity. Diagnosed with CPSTD and additional physical disabilities and living with dissociative identity disorder, she paints her story as a self-healing journey for herself and a therapeutic guide for others who have encountered trauma of all types. She is the founder of The Smash Studio Co., which offers individuals the opportunity to reclaim their power by turning anger into beautiful art.
Her sheer determination and burning passion for her art have overcome many vulnerabilities and her art serves as a battle cry that ignites a fire within others, urging them to rise above barriers and forge their own path.