Heart in My Mouth

Description

Heart in My Mouth explores a deeply personal feeling of vulnerability and disappointment directed towards the universe itself. Inspired by the song Sweet Nothing by Calvin Harris featuring Florence Welch, the work draws on the lyric “You took my heart and you held it in your mouth” to express the feeling of having placed your trust in something greater, only to be left wondering what, if anything, had been given in return.

The image presents an open mouth revealing a glowing anatomical heart. Through dense textures, heightened colour and sharply defined outlines, Rose Marinelli transforms an emotional state into a visceral physical form. The heart is exposed and unprotected, suspended within a space that is both intimate and unsettling.

For Marinelli, the work emerged from a period of feeling fragile and questioning what the universe had given back to her. Having invested hope and faith in the possibility that things might improve, she was left with a sense of emptiness — as though she had offered something of herself and received little in return. The feeling was not directed at another person, but at the universe itself: an expression of frustration, hurt and disillusionment with the way life seemed to be unfolding.

The heart becomes a symbol of that emotional offering. It represents the vulnerability of continuing to hope, even when circumstances seem indifferent to that hope. Held within the mouth, it appears caught between care and danger, as though something precious has been placed in the hands of a force whose intentions cannot be known. The image gives physical form to the uneasy feeling of being exposed to a universe that can inspire wonder and faith, yet also seem unresponsive when support is most needed.

The title, Heart in My Mouth, evokes the familiar sensation of intense fear, anticipation or emotional exposure. Here, that feeling becomes a metaphor for living with uncertainty — when hope and disappointment exist side by side, and the heart remains vulnerable to whatever comes next.

The influence of Sweet Nothing lies in its tension between emotional investment and the feeling of receiving nothing meaningful in return. Marinelli draws on this sentiment to express a more existential frustration: the experience of looking beyond oneself for meaning, reassurance or some indication that things will turn out differently, only to be met with silence.

Through its striking bodily imagery, Heart in My Mouth gives form to the experience of feeling let down by the universe. It captures the fragility of hope, the pain of unmet expectations and the difficult space between continuing to believe and wondering whether that belief has been rewarded at all.