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Can you see me?’ was a collaboration with Cornwall based artist Emma Digerud-White showing at Jupiter Gallery, Newlyn, at the time run by the successful artist, tutor, activist and curator Faye Dobinson.

There is seeing and there is REALLY seeing. When we look, we bring ourselves to the viewing – our histories, our experiences, our ideas, our biases, our needs. We asked how can we hope to ‘look’ with more thought and understanding of what is clearly in front of us?

Emma and Penny have a close synergy between their work which first brought them together; the bond between them grew through conversations and continues to develop and inform their work on shared themes, after graduating from the Newlyn School of Art.

Conveying deep meaning and emotion, through figurative and semi abstracted mixed media work, they tackled subjects including motherhood, identity, self-image, female gaze, strength and vulnerability.

Much of the work was deeply personal and tackled complex and sometimes difficult emotions, which are often brushed over; here they invited the viewer to stay a while in the depths of these emotions to confront and understand them.

In the show, and working residency, they explored and shared how personal experiences and understanding of ‘feeling unseen’ contribute to the continued themes in their gestural and innovative work. As Penny and Emma commanded to be seen for their talents, individuality, and sensibilities, beyond their physical selves, audiences were invited to contribute to the conversation.