Bloom where you are planted

CLIENT
ViiV Healthcare

2018

In 2018, I was invited by ViiV Healthcare to participate in a weekend Artist-in-Residency to create an artwork for the launch of a new HIV treatment. The creative brief was to visually communicate the concepts of resilience and flourishing through the lens of the lived experience.

For many, the moment of diagnosis is a complex, often devastating instant where one feels as though their world has fallen apart. However, the narrative I sought to capture was one of transformation. My artwork explored the journey that follows: how, through the right community connections, self-acceptance, and effective treatment, that initial moment can lead to an evolution into a version of ourselves we never imagined possible.

While every diagnosis is a deeply personal and unique story, I used this visual narrative to share my own journey, reflecting a path from vulnerability to strength.

The artwork was produced live over the course of the two-day event, leading to a final presentation at the conference’s conclusion. To embody the spirit of the project, I invited all attendees—including healthcare practitioners and community members—to contribute to the piece by helping colour in the final work.

This collaborative work became a powerful symbol of the healthcare journey itself: a shared effort between the individual and their support network. The finished piece stands as a testament to the collective strength found within the HIV community and the professionals who support it.

A man wearing headphones seated at a white table with writing materials, under purple lighting, in an indoor setting with decorative elements and a large cut-out structure with handwritten notes.
Drawing of a standing person covered in words and surrounded by flowers, skulls, and bottles, with a child lying at their feet.
Two men working on a project at a table with various markers and papers. One man is leaning over the table, writing or drawing, while the other stands nearby observing or assisting.
Two people, a woman and a man, are working together at a table with a fashion sketch. The woman is smiling and leaning over, while the man is drawing with a green marker. There are various highlighters and pens on the table.
Line drawing with black ink outlines and pink and green details depicting a skull, flowers, a hand, and a X in a surreal arrangement on a pink background.
Sketch of a man standing with a surreal scene of a snake, skull, and miscellaneous objects at his feet, with various handwritten notes around.
A pencil sketch of a person with text on their body, such as 'MORE', 'STRENGTH', 'LOVE', 'ATPEACE', and other words. The drawing is on a piece of paper, and there are two pens resting on it, one red and one silver.
Colorful hand-drawn illustration of a human figure with positive words on body parts and negative words like rejection on the middle. The figure has pink skin and brown-green clothing, with handwritten notes next to it.
Drawing of a nude male figure standing amidst a heap of flowers, skulls, and other objects, with a pink flower in the center.
A hand-drawn illustration of a male human figure with various labeled parts, including muscles and bands, with handwritten notes on the left side.