Rachelle van, ZIPPERHEAD (PEOPLE 2025)

Web:

rachellevan.com

‘ZIPPERHEAD’ reimagines the experience of my recovery from brain surgery — colloquially known as ‘zipper-head surgery’ for the distinctive scar it leaves. This work explores the brain’s neurological rewiring during recovery, while confronting the physical imprint of fear. It dwells in the space between discomfort and reverence — where the body becomes both specimen and symbol, and the boundary between flesh and feeling begins to slip.

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