Catherine Daniels' 40 sculptures each tell a story of her past. Photo / Esther Bunning
Catherine Daniels' 40 sculptures each tell a story of her past. Photo / Esther Bunning
The Secret Keeper, a confronting exhibition telling the story of childhood trauma and sexual abuse, opens in Whanganui this week.
The opening will include the launch of Catherine Daniels' book of the same name which contains metaphors and images, taken by photographer Esther Bunning, that complement the exhibition.
Sculptor andauthor Daniels was nearly 50 when she realised her secrets made her unwell.
After meeting Whanganui-based author Joan Rosier-Jones she started to unfold the layers of her history through words, many of them in a metaphorical form.
Daniels joined a writers' group which supported her in her journey through understanding her own mental health issues.
One day Daniels couldn't write so she decided to make a sculpture to portray what she couldn't say in words, beginning The Secret Keeper works.
By creating the sculptures and metaphors, she slowly unfolded her past in a way she was able to control. Each of the 40 sculptures tells its own story.
Daniels hopes her works will start conversations to help others navigate their own journeys of healing through childhood trauma, parental neglect, sexual abuse and mental health issues.
