OBSESSIONS

OBSESSIONS features representational graphite drawings which translate the diverse manifestations of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) into visual language through the depiction of control, containment, and cyclicality. The work revolves around childhood toys, sensory recollections, and the act of drawing itself to dissect early symptoms and subtypes of OCD, including “just-right” sensations, checking, counting, rumination, and the concept of “false memory”. Repetition functions as both a recurring subject and method of creation, while graphite, with its capacity to blur, erase, and preserve, operates as both material and metaphor. This thesis addresses common misconceptions surrounding OCD, considers how art can render its internal mechanisms visible, and advocates for empathy and a more holistic understanding of a historically underrepresented disorder.