This will only hurt for a second is an exhibition that delves into the transformative power of softness as a means to reclaim body autonomy. Through an immersive and playful installation, the exhibition challenges the medicalisation of intimacy and touch within the realm of disability experience, offering a unique perspective on the profound social and emotional significance of touch.
For many disabled people, touch and intimacy are often associated with invasive medical procedures and pain, making it difficult to differentiate between comfort and therapy. However, touch goes beyond physical sensation and offers profound social and emotional significance. It can alert us to potential harm or danger through pain while offering solace and comfort through warmth and softness.
The artwork is designed to establish a direct connection between touch and our memories through tactile sculptures that reimagine traditional medical equipment, providing a soft and inviting sensory experience. The traditional rules of ‘don’t touch the artwork’ are suspended in favour of play and exploration.
Amy Claire Mills is an artist, curator, and producer who resides in Sydney and works on the unceded Gadigal and Wangal land. Her art practice focuses on advocacy, identity, and resistance, which is influenced by her experiences as a disabled woman. Through her work, Amy explores disability culture and its social and political impacts, taking on both the role of an artist and subject. Her artworks serve as a form of protest, introducing new vocabularies such as softness, tactility, empathy, and care.
Since graduating with a Fine Arts Degree from UNSW, Amy has collaborated with community and art organisations, local councils, and national institutions to curate and produce exhibitions and community events focusing on embedding access and greater representation for disabled artists. Amy has exhibited in different artist-run initiatives (ARIs) across Australia.
Image: Amy Claire Mills, Noninvasive, 2023, detailed artwork image © Amy Claire Mills
