Cancer

For every woman who fought.

For every woman who fights.

To those who faced cancer, and to those who walked beside them through fear, loss, hope, and healing.

A tribute to bodies that endure, to the beauty of transformation, and to the strength of sisterhood.

This work is for you.

Dimensions:  27" H x 13" W x 17" D (68.5cm H x  33cm W x  43cm D)

Materials:  Clay, porcelain, mirrored glass, steel, decals, glaze and underglaze

Year: 2026

Price: Upon request

Giving back: 10% of my net proceeds from this piece will be donated to a nonprofit aligned with the social issue behind the work: AECC   

The Truth Behind:

— This Piece —

Cancer is part of an ongoing series called Invaluable, an exploratory celebration of divergent bodies, and a necessary reminder that all bodies are beautiful and everyone deserves to be loved. The series finds beauty precisely where society refuses to look.

This piece portrays a breast cancer survivor, standing unapologetically nude, her baldness and mastectomy scars not symbols of loss, but of transformation. Her expression radiates confidence and serenity, inviting the viewer to see beyond the body as an object of perfection and toward the body as testimony. This work speaks to the power of representation: the visibility of those whose journeys redefine beauty, femininity, and courage. Through her, we are invited to confront our discomfort and expand our empathy.

The piece is an intentional reinterpretation of Chinese porcelain, one of the most precious, admired, and collected art forms in human history, found in the most exclusive collections and important museums in the world. Here, the human body takes the place of that porcelain: equally delicate, equally irreplaceable, equally worthy of admiration. The blue decorative motifs, self-designed in the style of traditional Chinese porcelain, become tattoos on a body that stands strong, proud, and certain of its own value. A nudity that is not incidental, but intentional, an act of openness, of presence, of saying: I am here, and I love every inch of this precious body, even if you have been told not to.

These tattoos are also a tribute. Each motif is inspired by women close to me who have faced cancer, women who endured this journey with courage, resilience, and extraordinary strength. This piece is for them.

Cancer is a tribute to sisterhood in all its forms: to the profound role women play in one another’s lives as companions, caregivers, lovers, girlfriends, wives, family, and friends. It celebrates the bonds that sustain us through uncertainty and loss, and the quiet acts of love that help us carry what feels impossible to bear.

It is also a celebration of the partners who stay, in this case, a same-sex love that remains steadfast through adversity; a love that nurtures, protects, endures, and transcends. Because this is more than romance; it is an act of profound love and sisterhood.

To all the women who have stood beside another woman when she needed it most. To those who held her hand, carried her weight and refused to let her fall. This work is for you.

We see you. We admire you. We know how magnificent you are.

— The Social Issue —

Beauty Standards and the Body Under Pressure

In a world where nearly 35 million cosmetic procedures are performed each year and women bear the overwhelming burden of beauty expectations, social media amplifies impossible standards that fuel comparison, body dissatisfaction, and self-doubt, raising urgent questions about who profits from women's insecurities and at what cost to their well-being. Read more.

Breast Cancer and the Body

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women worldwide.

According to the World Health Organisation, breast cancer caused an estimated 670000 deaths and 2.3 million women were diagnosed with breast cancer globally in 2022, making it the most frequently diagnosed cancer among women across all regions of the world.

While advances in treatment have improved survival rates, the psychological and emotional consequences of the disease often remain under-recognized. A substantial body of peer-reviewed research has demonstrated that breast cancer treatment can significantly affect body image, self-esteem, sexuality, identity, and quality of life.

Surgery, mastectomy, chemotherapy, radiation treatment, and hormonal therapies may alter a person's physical appearance in lasting ways. Hair loss, scarring, asymmetry, and the loss of one or both breasts are not merely medical outcomes. They are experiences that unfold within societies where women's bodies are frequently measured against narrow and idealized standards of beauty.

For many survivors, recovery involves not only healing from disease but also rebuilding their relationship with their own body.

This series responds to that message not with protest, but with affirmation. It is a celebration of bodies that carry scars, histories, transformations, and survival. A reminder that human worth cannot be measured by conformity to a single ideal.

Beauty does not belong to one shape, one age, one gender, one ability, or one story.

Everybody deserves to be seen.

Everybody deserves to be loved.

References, Further Reading & Sources:

Breast Cancer Fact Sheet and Global Statistics- World Health Organization (WHO) 

Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) Report 2024: Social Media Use and Adolescent Health - World Health Organization (WHO)

Social Media and Youth Mental Health (2023) - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Leading peer-reviewed journal dedicated to body image, appearance, identity, and related psychological and social issues - Sciente Direct