Inside Ayesha Feisal’s Soft Tissues, Hard Truths
- The Lemon Seed Project
- Oct 6
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 7
Just over a week ago, we presented Soft Tissues, Hard Truths at Havant House, a striking new body of paintings and limited-edition prints by London-based artist Ayesha Feisal. Across the walls, her works traced themes of endurance, transformation and the strength found in softness.
Though the doors have now closed, the collection remains available through our online shop for a limited time only, giving new collectors a chance to bring part of Soft Tissues, Hard Truths home.
On Survival, Softness and Strength
“This body of work reflects on survival, softness and the quiet power held in our bodies,” Feisal wrote before the exhibition. “Across paintings and digital collages, I draw on imagery of anatomy, carnivorous plants and water, forms that symbolise memory, resilience and transformation.”
Water runs throughout the collection, “mirroring the journey of womanhood itself: carrying, cleansing, crashing and soothing as it changes form.”
Feisal continued, “The works begin from places of pain, emotional, generational and physical, yet through the act of making, they transmute into something new. I invite us to see softness as strength, to find beauty in the midst of difficulty, and to reflect on the resilience that allows women to endure, adapt and become.”
Moments of Pause and Reflection
When creating White Flag, Feisal said she was “thinking about the moments where my body gave me no choice but to stop. It’s about surrender, not as defeat, but as a kind of strength. The breast form serves as a reminder of the need to nurture oneself.”
That same sense of questioning runs through Temperate, Supposedly, a piece that considers how language can soften or distort pain. “Fibroids are often described as benign,” she explained. “When I looked up synonyms for the word, I found terms like harmless and mild, temperate was one of them. I was thinking about the ways and the terms used that often minimise the reality. I’m questioning this, whilst recognising the strength it takes to endure.”
Hold Up and Putting It On examine the emotional weight of composure, the quiet resilience required to keep going when everything feels heavy.
“Even if I don’t feel ready, life goes on. I have to lift my spirits and keep moving,” Feisal reflected. “This piece is about endurance and the strength it takes to keep moving.”
Cycles of Pain, Change and Release
Feisal’s larger canvases expand those ideas. The Test reflects on “the feeling of being tested by my own body.” The Decision is “a reminder of how our thoughts have a direct impact on our physical being and the power of manifestation.”
In 3 Days In, she revisits cycles of surrender and resentment, eventually finding acceptance. “It’s also about still loving the fullness of womanhood”
Pearls in the Water connects discomfort to growth. “Pearls are formed by a mollusk’s response to internal discomfort,” Feisal said. “Water, too, holds memory while also cleansing. Together they reflect the wisdom gained, a reminder that even in difficult times, value can be found.”
The collections largest piece, Emancipation “embodies the freedom I felt when my body finally released me from years of pain,” Feisal explained. “It is about a new lease of life and the joy of moving through the world without that struggle. For me, this truly feels like liberation.”
Continuing the Conversation
Though Soft Tissues, Hard Truths has closed at Havant House, the collection remains available through The Lemon Seed Project.
View the full Soft Tissues, Hard Truths Collection here
Each print is available as a signed, numbered edition of 25, alongside original works for collectors.
$50
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$50
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Product Details goes here with the simple product description and more information can be seen by clicking the see more button. Product Details goes here with the simple product description and more information can be seen by clicking the see more button.
$50
Product Title
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