Janine Vince, What the Roots Remember (ART & CONCEPTUAL 2026)

Endometriosis is often described as an individual diagnosis, yet it is rarely experienced in isolation. It lives beneath the surface — in bodies, in family histories, and in the quiet fears passed between generations. This image began with a truth I wish I could undo: the realisation that what has shaped so much of my own life has been inherited by my daughter. The lower hand is my own, holding the exposed roots of a plant. The roots symbolise what remains unseen — inherited pain, medical histories buried deep, and a condition that grows silently long before it is recognised. They speak to endurance, but also to entanglement — to something carried for years before it is ever named. Above, my daughter’s hand reaches for a single poppy in bloom. The flower is the only element in colour, its red echoing blood, pain, remembrance, and survival. Once, this gesture represented hope — the belief that the next generation might be spared. Now, it reflects a different reality. My daughter has inherited endometriosis and is beginning her own journey with the disease. The poppy becomes both a continuation and a marker of visibility: what was once hidden is now seen. The movement within the image is intentional. The slight blur and tremor in the hands reflects bodies that cannot fully rest — bodies shaped by chronic pain, fatigue, and unpredictability. It mirrors the instability of living with endometriosis, and the emotional weight of watching a child walk a path you know too well. The passing on is not steady or deliberate; it trembles with love, fear, and grief. This work reveals an often-unspoken aspect of endometriosis — its generational echo. It is about holding what we were given, witnessing it surface again, and making visible a journey that continues to unfold, rooted deep, still living.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.