The Art That Keeps Michelle Irizarry Afloat

For Michelle Irizarry, the act of making art has been inseparable from the act of staying alive. Much of her recent work, she explains, was produced in the grip of a condition few people can see and even fewer understand.

"A lot of these pieces were made during my five year battle with akathisia, a torturous nervous system condition that feels like you are drowning," she says. "Making this art felt cathartic and helped me survive. I have akathisia again and art is just keeping me afloat."

“Making this art felt cathartic and helped me survive. I have akathisia again and art is just keeping me afloat.”

That sense of survival gives her work its urgency, but Irizarry is clear about what she wants viewers to take from it. Her hope is that the pieces build understanding around conditions that leave no outward mark.

"I hope the viewer will be more empathetic about invisible disabilities and what they mean for one's sense of self," she says. Her practice also reaches beyond the personal: "Some pieces are also about our environment and I hope they motivate people to join together to save this planet for future generations!"