Every heart has a story. Some hearts have many stories. The stories of our hearts shape who we believe we are and who we become.
Cabinet of Hearts is a curated archive of the inner world—a collection of vessels holding the stories, wounds, wonders and transformations that have shaped my life. Each heart within the cabinet is 3D‑printed and hand‑painted. Each vessel has been lovingly collected and deliberately placed, becoming a small reliquary of memory.
Some of the hearts hold moments of love so powerful they changed the course of everything; others contain desire, beauty or the fire of passion. Some of the hearts carry lessons, rewritten heartbreak, reclamation, forgiveness. Some hold the courage to let go, or the tenderness of learning to love oneself.
The cabinet itself, a found object, becomes a sanctuary for these stories. Every vessel is filled with things that represent what I love or things that have shaped the person I am – ocean, water, the bush, the colours of land and sky, family, friends and lovers, special moments, achievements, music, arts and story. These memories fill the hearts with joy, nostalgia and the quiet ache of becoming.
Among them sits a kintsugi heart suspended in a safety net, a symbol of reparation and protection – proof that damage can be mended and that healing can make us stronger, more luminous, whole.
Cabinet of Hearts invites viewers to consider the stories their own hearts carry: the ones that broke them, the ones that saved them and the ones still being written.
Installed at:
- Spice of Life, St Albans, Feb 2026 (As part of the Altar of Passion)
- Soundworks Arts Hub, 2025
Materials used:
- Thrifted cabinet
- Found, repurposed, gifted and thrifted jars, vessels and objects
- Assorted materials
- 3D printed hearts
- Acrylic paint
The Artful Bea 