Illness, especially cancer, is never something you really want to think about, but itยs worth it in the case of ยRepository,ย a photo and video exhibition by artist Sarah Sudhoff. After being diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2004, Sudhoff began to artistically document her illness and its effects, photographing herself and other subjects in exam rooms, operating rooms and even a morgue.
In ยRepositoryย we see Sudhoff on various stirrup-equipped examining tables, a snake-like scar down her stomach from exploratory surgery (the surgeon was nice enough to loop around her belly button) and, in one of the most startling images, Sudhoff sitting naked in a large stainless steel sink. There are a few light moments in the show, such as Sudhoffยs shot of a hospitalยs flower-vending machine. Viewers might leave haunted by the stark coldness of some of the images, but theyยll also leave refreshed by the intimacy and honesty of the work.
Sudhoff, fortunately, is thriving today, and sheยll be at the Artists and Illness workshop, along with a host of medical professionals and artists, on March 21.
Regular viewing hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays. Through April 17. Art League Houston, 1953 Montrose. For information, call 713-523-9530 or visit www.artleaguehouston.org. Free.
Saturdays, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; Mondays-Fridays, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Starts: March 14. Continues through April 17, 2009
This article appears in Mar 12-18, 2009.