The Gang (2010) by Lisa Biles (b. 1977)

My art is the only form of communication I feel comfortable with. Having suffered from anorexia nervosa, I have constantly found it difficult to communicate with people and to accept the pressure to be perfect. I chose to isolate myself and create my own world where I become powerful, victorious and in control. I achieve this through manipulating images in fashion journals and popular culture magazines, creating collages which then become paintings.

The only way I can become indestructible is through painting

This painting is to do with feelings of isolation, and not having friends to share emotions with. So I create my own fantasy world with figures and dolls that are from cartoons, films and popular culture. I often tackle issues of identity and image within my work. I use masks to disguise the characters in my paintings in order to demonstrate that we all use something to hide behind. There is a tension between the playful characters and the threatening ones. The playful ones represent a sense of freedom, like being a kid again and not being judged. The threatening ones represent a sense of power and entrapment.

www.lisabiles.com.

We are always looking for interesting and visually appealing images for the cover of the Journal and would welcome suggestions or pictures, which should be sent to Dr Allan Beveridge, British Journal of Psychiatry, 21 Prescot Street London E1 8BB, UK or [email protected].