Flare: Finding a Sense of Place in the Chronically Ill Body
/Flare: Finding a Sense of Place in the Chronically Ill Body
Curated by Brianna Camp
Exhibitions Dates: May 29-August 1
Letting the pain be
A winding summer stream, free
Light sparkling still
Flare: Finding a Sense of Place in the Chronically Ill Body
At age fourteen, Brianna Camp was diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, a chronic illness that impacts the autonomic nervous system. Throughout her teens, and into her twenties, she has navigated the ebb and flow of physical symptoms that range from debilitating to mild. Flareups have lasted days, months, and years.
Flare: Finding a Sense of Place in the Chronically Ill Body explores the concept of a flare, a sudden burst. Flares are ephemeral. What is left when they dissipate? What happens in the space between? Large-scale self-portraits rendered in oil paint and corresponding poetry, respond to these questions. Flare is inspired by Royal Lake Park in Fairfax, Virginia. Royal lake became significant to Camp, as nature can bring calm to her restless body on difficult days. Traversing the 1.8 -mile loop, through thick woods and along the water’s edge, began as a habitual coping mechanism and evolved into an almost spiritual ritual.
The exhibition includes a rotation of documentary photography that the artist collected over the last ten years during these walks around the lake. Over time, Camp noticed the way the landscape seems to flare, a natural ebb and flow- a sudden burst of Woodland Sunflowers along the shoreline, or a fleeting storm of dragonflies hovering above the water. Then, periods of calm, sometimes periods of dormancy or decay. A hazy blanket of wildfire smoke, the scent of decomposing leaves. Rhythms and patterns became increasingly apparent. “I was warmed by the early summer sun, the air smelling earthy and alive. I stood by the lake when it was frozen over. The reflections on the water were gone, and only blue shadows of naked trees remained, stretching out over the ice. And I returned to the lake when it wasn’t a lake, when it was drained, leaving only puddles and dead fish behind. I had no control over the transient extremes I watched overtime but still found a steadiness that comforted me.
Over the years, without conscious realization, I became committed to the sense of place I found at the lake. I think this commitment was born out of a deep love”. The exhibition explores grief, radical acceptance, and trust by inviting viewers to imagine what cultivating a sense of place might look like within the body. How can we commit to a place that is always changing? What does it look like to navigate a constant dance of simultaneous grief and healing? Visitors are invited to reflect on these questions and respond to a collaborative poetry project that takes place in the gallery.
Artist Statement:
Brianna Camp is a visual artist living in Fairfax, Virginia. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a concentration in painting from George Mason University’s School of Art (2023). Camp’s paintings, murals, and drawings emphasize light and respond to the healing connection that can be facilitated through art. She recognizes art as a potential form of social action and as a tool to build community. Her site-specific works and murals often involve her peers and her local organizations. Through her portrait paintings, landscapes, and abstract works, she explores how her practice may also lead to personal growth and healing.
Camp’s first solo show, Lightkeeper, debuted at the Lake Frederick Shenandoah Lodge Art Gallery in December 2023. Her work has been shown at other galleries across the Northern Virginia area including the Kunsthaus Gallery, Open Space Arts, The Torpedo Factory Art Center, and the Gillespie Gallery at George Mason University. Camp became a guest artist at the Torpedo Factory Art Center in 2025 and will return in April 2026.
www.briannacamp.com
Young Alumni text: YOUNG ALUMNI COMMISSIONING PROJECT (YACP):
This exhibition is not an exhibition of Mason Exhibitions, but of George Mason University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) Young Alumni Commissioning Project. YACP provides crucial support for our alumni’s continued artistic development. The Project is made possible by a generous bequest from the estate of Linda E. Gramlich for the support of young artists, and by donors to George Mason Giving Day, including Shugoll Research.
