HaemophiliARTS: Bloody Good
COMMONSpace
15 April – 12 July 2022

Haemophilia is best known as a much wider family of bleeding disorders, which include Haemophilia A, B, von Willebrands, rarer clotting factor deficiencies and platelet disorders. In Scotland over 3,000 people in Scotland are diagnosed with a bleeding disorder. Women’s bleeding disorders have been historically overlooked, and it was not until 1826 that Eric von Willing documented that women can also suffer from a bleeding disorder. Since then it has taken time to fully understand the vast array of bleeding conditions that women have and are suffering from, and the aim of this exhibition is to raise awareness of these disorders.

The starting point for this exhibition was a quilt that was made for and during the World Federation of Haemophilia Congress, which took place in Glasgow 2018, to ensure that the Women’s Booth, hosted by Haemophilia Scotland, had something visible and distinctive in their booth. Haemophilia patient groups and women’s groups from around the world were invited to contribute a square to illustrate what women’s bleeding disorders meant to them and they received over 31 panels. The overall theme for the quilt was Empowerment, and the central panel which illustrates the inherited nature of bleeding disorders with a tree, DNA and veins.

In order to continue the legacy of the quilt, the Women’s Group at Haemophilia Scotland have created a series of artworks to compliment the quilt. During a series of online workshops we considered the addition themes of the quilt and virtually explored these through the exhibition Domestic Bliss in Gallery 4. The main themes for the exhibition are: family, well-being, women, superheroes and the work of Niki de Saint Phalle. You can find out more about Bleeding disorders by scanning the below QR code.