In Dowling’s series Disarming the inner critic, the artist interrogates the source of the inner critic and asks – Whose voice is this anyway?
Working with the historically undermined medium of craft, Dowling uses hand embroidery on vintage doilies to subvert both the history of the materials and the power given to specific words. The artist has embroidered terms that have been used throughout history to belittle, control and silence. The artist laughs at the sad ghosts that once made up her inner critic and disarms their imagined power by reclaiming these words with humour and joy.
Slut (disarming the inner critic), 2026, hand embroidery, cotton thread on linen and cotton vintage doily, 20 x 28cm, photos by Tobias Titz
