Hannah Chertock’s art is a stunning testament to patience, and a thorough investigation of what it means to live in a human body.
Chertock, the artist behind Bodies Adapt, studied photography at Virginia Commonwealth University. Her work spills out into other mediums as well; she creates artist books, enamel pins, and an incredible collection of meticulously crafted paper cuttings.
Her paper cuttings depict the body at various levels: some illustrate organs such as the lungs or heart, others zoom into the microscopic workings of cells. The work is organic, and incredibly intricate– which is especially impressive when you realize that each piece is hand-crafted. She layers various textures, which she explains on her Etsy, speaks to the deep complexity of the body. Many of the pieces include a glints of metallic textures and glitter– a nod to the bodies that rely on surgery and other forms of technology, including her own. She’s currently working on a custom spine, built from an X-ray of a spinal fracture.
Chertock’s work is informed by the chronic pain and physical limitations that she has battled all her life. She was born with spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia, a bone condition which causes short stature, joint problems, and chronic pain. To learn more about spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia, click here.
The project rose out of her thesis in her senior year of art school, which focused on sculpture and photography. At this point, she was fighting severe chronic pain, since her cartilage had completely worn away at the hip. The worsening pain started to consume her life, and she spent a lot of time thinking about what pain is: a signal, warning your brain that something isn’t right.
The following summer Chertock received a hip replacement, which relieved a significant amount of pain. As she went through surgery, and then physical therapy, she gained a new appreciation for the resiliency of bodies. While recovering, she still experienced physical limitations. She turned to tunnel books and paper creations, since it was a more manageable medium to work with.
She has an easier time walking now, and the transformation changed the way she thought about pain. She came to understand that our bodies are working incredibly hard at all times for us, but too often, we ignore our pain instead of addressing it. It’s essential that we learn to nurture and care for our bodies, and that we listen to the messages it tries to tell us.
Chertock’s art speaks of the challenges of living with a physical disability, but it also tells of the profound respect and love she has for her body and all of the ways it sustains her. She points out that are bodies are not a singular experience. They’re constantly in flux– growing, moving, and changing every day. All bodies experience pain and limitations, although she was forced to face this at an earlier age.
Her work balances in a complex intersection. One part spreads awareness, carving out a space for artists with disabilities; and the other part celebrates our bodies, for everything they are: weird, flawed, difficult, and worth loving anyway.