Submission

The Climacteric explores the menopause, a significant time of change during which women often choose to remain silent. The series describes my own personal story but echoes the voices of many women. Using the coping mechanism of self-depreciating humour, I take the viewer with me on a journey through confusion, sadness, anger and exhaustion with debilitating hot flushes in between. Black and white represents the binary nature of the event with colourful emojis as surrogates for the unpredictable kaleidoscope of emotions and feelings. Finally, I show the possibilities of coming through to the other side as a stronger more confident woman. I hope my work can trigger a deeper, more understanding conversation about this challenging and emotional time.