WORKS AVAILABLE BY: Debra Cartwright

Debra Cartwright explores the historical and cultural perceptions of the female body in relation to American medical history. Originating in her research of the abhorrent practices of J. Marion Sims—the so-called “father” of American gynecology who performed experimental surgeries on enslaved Black women—her work is also shaped by her upbringing as the daughter of a gynecologist.

Transcending the legacy of violence and stolen selfhood, Cartwright’s artworks make space for re-embodiment, myth, and intimacy. In her delicate yet arresting watercolors, the abstracted figures morph into dancer-like silhouettes. Each figure begins to claim her own story, her own presence. The work invites a quiet, personal connection—an act of sensual remembrance.