Critical Reflection
“Sugartits” presents as a raw, visceral diary of Mullaney’s breast cancer treatment journey, recorded across 139 days on the artists’ Facebook feed. Encompassing initial surgery and then chemotherapy, Mullaney’s piece employs a reverse chronological structure to work through her treatment days, creating a disorientating temporal experience for the reader that mirrors the psychological disorientation of her illness and treatment.
The fragmented and staccato nature of Mullaney’s text, with its fractured syntax and deliberate grammatical disruptions, narratively embodies the psychological fragmentation experienced during medical trauma. The voice oscillates between rage, despair, and fleeting moments of reprieve, those emotions focussing on her medical battle as well as reflecting on how her treatment has affected her femininity – “Gorgeousnesses. Gone” (Mullaney 2020:164), “Less sugar. Tits tomorrow. The Fucker. Will out.” (Mullaney, 2020: 166). “The Fucker” (Mullaney, 2020:166) serves through the writing as the manifestation of the cancer itself.
Most striking is Mullaney’s use of colour references as a means of processing her experience through her artistic vocabulary. Colours become metaphors for emotional and physical states: “Cadmium Red” (Mullaney, 2020: 164) evokes blood, “Arsenic Green” (Mullaney, 2020: 165) suggests the toxicity of the chemotherapy, whilst “Black. And Blue” (Mullaney, 2020: 165) is a consistent refrain that suggests both physical bruising and emotional struggles.
The repetition of “After the Fucker” lends a haunting rhythm to the narrative, whilst the countdown structure suggests both hope – approaching zero – and dread – diminishing life. This ambiguity permeates the piece – is Mullaney celebrating survival or documenting her demise? There are points where she herself, is unsure of the outcome.
The deliberate ambiguity that is exposed by the text’s fragmentation, allows readers to experience the cognitive disruption of serious illness, rather than merely hear a report of it. The fusion of medical terminology with the colour language of an artist, creates a unique lexicon for expressing the inexpressible.
“Sugartits” demonstrates how structure, language and content can work symbiotically: the fracture structure mirrors fracture health, whilst colour terminology transforms clinical experience in something both more personal and universal. Mullaney’s diaristic piece doesn’t merely describe trauma, it recreates the experience of cognitive and emotional disruption for the reader.
Research Notes
List of References
Mullaney, M (2020) ‘Sugartits’ In: Jagoe, R., and Kivland, S., (eds.) On Care. London: MA Bibliothèque. pp.164-166
Bibliography
University of Bolton Fine art (2019) Artist Talks – Martina Mullaney At: https://boltonunifineart.com/2019/11/17/artist-talk-martina-mullaney/ (Accessed 05/03/25)
Woods, J (2022) ‘ON CARE’: Book Review At: https://thepolyphony.org/2022/04/29/on-care-book-review/ (Accessed 05/03/25)
Mullaney, M (2013) Project Profile | Martina Mullaney & Enemies of Good Art At: https://visualartists.ie/van-julyaugust-2013-project-profile-martina-mullaney-enemies-of-good-art/ (Accessed 05/03/25)
Desperate Artwives (2020) Woman Up! Podcast Series 2, Episode 1 – Martina Mullaney At: https://artreading.org/2020/03/05/woman-up-podcast-series-2-episode-1-martina-mullaney/ (Accessed 05/03/25)