Hands that Heal
Natalia Jastrzebski
CCH Gallery, Modbury Hospital
12 December 2022 – 10 May 2023
Artist statement
Touch is conveyed by the language of our hands. Whether it’s holding a loved one’s hand through happiness and hardship or delivering health care, our hands are instruments of connection. As a Nurse, I’ve been privileged to assist families with memory making at end of life. In ‘Hands that Heal’ I seek to extend this by partnering with patients and families, as well as health care professionals to immortilise and honor the hands that heal using the process of printmaking. Healing in this context is defined by human connection which contributes to a sense of peace and well-being.
As an outcome of my Artist Residency with the Centre for Creative Health and Northern Adelaide Palliative Services, a limited edition of prints has been created from each commission with one print gifted to the sitter. The remaining works are available for sale. Each work is unique due to the printing process and hand-made nature of some of the paper.
Displaying this work in the health care environment which brought it to life is a visual reminder of the connections and shared moments between patients, families and health care staff.
- Natalia Jastrzebski, 2022.
Natalia Jastrzebski is relatively new to the world of creating. Her emerging arts practice includes printmaking, drawing, painting and jewellery making. Born in Poland and migrating to Australia at the age of 5, she has a desire to understand the world around her and has learned to observe whilst working as a Nurse for the past 14 years. In 2016 a visit to the National Portrait Gallery and National Gallery of Australia reignited a passion for visual art and in 2021 she took a leap of faith to study visual art. During this time COVID impacted families experiencing end of life treatment in the hospital setting by restricting visitors. This was the catalyst to Natalia’s idea of creating commemorative linoprints of hands for families and health care workers. The underlying theme is one of connection.

Natalia Jastrzebski, ‘1.1 Four generations’ (detail), 2022. Image courtesy the artist.