A heartfelt thank you to the Mortal and Strong team for creating the Scars of Gold exhibition, a transformative experience that I was privileged to join as a voice, an artist, and a panelist. Mortal and Strong is a UK-registered charity (1209448) dedicated to supporting people facing life-changing or incurable health conditions. They provide medical-professional-led education and support, using art to empower communities.
My journey with Scars of Gold, which ran in London’s Waterloo from May 10–17, 2025, was deeply personal. As a voice, I shared my story of late diagnosis; as an artist, I contributed to the campaign’s creative vision; and as a panelist, I discussed how art and advocacy merge, particularly through my collaboration with HeartCharged to launch the Sudden Cardiac Art initiative.
The exhibition by Dr. Liz Murray and photographer Sammy Weston, embodied the Japanese art of Kintsugi (repairing broken pottery with gold to celebrate imperfections). 100 black-and-white portraits, each adorned with gold to highlight survivors’ scars, captured the strength of women facing over 160 health conditions.
The beautiful image captured by Sammy Weston of me (Charlie Kirkham) at 38 weeks pregnant
Scars of Gold wasn’t just an exhibition; it was a movement. Over 100 women shared their experiences through a podcast, documentary and art, supported by artists creating 100 artworks, one for each Voice.
To the Mortal and Strong team, thank you for uniting medical professionals, survivours and artists to create something extraordinary. To HeartCharged, your passion fuels our shared mission!
Want to see how I made my three artworks for the show? Scroll to the bottom of the page for the videos.
To everyone who visited or supported the exhibition, your engagement made it shine. Let’s keep the conversation alive.
How have your scars shaped your story?
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