ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on paintings of the author naked back created before and after the author 2007 traumatic brain injury (TBI) when the author corporeal asymmetry became more pronounced and expressive of additional autobiographical and physical experiences. It argues that the power of these examples materializes in their form, content, media, and interpretive ambiguities. The colourful imagery in the painting overwhelms a consistent narrative. Photographer Catherine Opie took an image of the naked back of a lesbian friend to show the word ‘DYKE’ tattooed proudly below her hairline for Dyke. Three brilliant orange and blue petals fuse into one bud; in full bloom, its shape resembles a bird in flight. It incarnates love, devotion, compassion, and having a good outlook on life, and it symbolizes freedom and joy.
