"Giving people with Myasthenia Gravis a voice"
Oh MG - Chloe Wigg
Myasthenia Gravis (MG) is a rare autoimmune disease that affects voluntary muscles. In Australia, there are just over 2,000 people living with MG. My exhibition Oh MG exists at the intersection of art, community, and advocacy. With the support of the MG community, I have collected over 2,000 empty Mestinon bottles. This medication is taken every few hours by many people with MG to keep their bodies moving. In Australia, there is no alternative medication, and like many others, it is sourced internationally. This exhibition was borne out of the vulnerability and helplessness felt by many during shortages that lasted for several months.
Frozen Lifelines (2024) uses upcycled medication bottles transformed into hanging snowflakes. The artwork is both a visual and conceptual exploration of contrasting ideas. I wanted to celebrate this medication for the safety it provides, while also highlighting the vulnerability caused by its potential absence. The light side of life-saving medication is contrasted with the darker side of its side effects. The snowflake motif represents MG and its unique manifestation in each individual, while also alluding to the duality of living with a heat-sensitive condition in a hot climate.
Held in the Drift (2024) is both an artwork and an awareness campaign. It represents the support within the MG community and from those surrounding them. I am a firm believer in creative practice for wellbeing and in the social power of craft. These snowflakes are the result of people with MG sharing Oh MG, their experiences, and the impact of MG with their wider communities. MG can be extremely isolating—limiting or removing the ability to drive, work, or even perform basic self-care. Maintaining or building social connections can be incredibly difficult.
Through the making of this artwork, people reached out to work colleagues, craft groups, retirement villages, church communities, family, and friends—broadening and strengthening their networks while raising awareness through craft. Over 2,500 crocheted snowflakes were collected, demonstrating that support for those with MG extends far beyond any single individual. The safety rings from the medication bottles have been incorporated into many of the snowflakes, symbolising the safety found in community support.
Portraits also feature prominently in this exhibition. These works are bright, positive, and vibrant—celebrating each individual. They are multilayered, dimensional, and complex, inviting the viewer to truly see the sitter. When diagnosed with a condition, especially a rare one, a person can be reduced to a set of symptoms rather than being recognised as a whole individual. These portraits give people with MG the opportunity to tell their stories. Find them here.
The idea for these portraits emerged from my own struggle to unlock my phone with facial recognition. MG affects the face in profound, visible, and often distressing ways—from steroid induced moon face to double vision and drooping eyelids to facial weakness. My family affectionately refers to this as “melty face”. Through these works, I aim to draw attention to the vulnerability experienced by those living with rare diseases, to celebrate the strength of community, and to showcase the resilience, achievements, and challenges of people with MG.
Frozen Lifelines - Chloe Wigg 2025
Photography Christina Lowry
Oh MG - Chloe Wigg 2025
Photography Christina Lowry
Frozen Lifelines - Chloe Wigg 2025
Photography Christina Lowry
Held in the drift - Chloe Wigg 2025
Photography Christina Lowry
Held in the drift - Chloe Wigg 2025, Frozen Lifelines - Chloe Wigg 2025,
Photography Christina Lowry
The Faces of MG - Chloe Wigg 2025
Photography Christina Lowry
The Making of Oh MG
Bottle's Collected 2000
Snowflakes Collected 2560
Oh MG
Oh MG is an art exhibition designed to give people with Myasthenia Gravis a voice. This Exhibition will first showcase at the Logan Art Gallery 22 May - 14June 2025 then travel to Warwick Regional Art gallery for Jumpers and Jazz in July 10 July - 16 Aug.
Oh MG is comprised of three main parts: The National Mestinon bottle collection, The Crochet Snowflake Project and the Faces of MG.
Myasthenia Gravis (MG)
Prounounced (mai-uhs-THEE-nee-uh GRAA-vuhs) is a chronic autoimmune, neuromuscular disease that causes weakness in the skeletal muscles (the muscles that connect to your bones and contract to allow body movement in the arms and legs, and allow for breathing) In Australia it has a prevalence of 1.2 sufferers per 10,000 population. A 2009 consensus found that there where 2,574 people living with MG in Aus. It is dubbed a 'Snowflake' disease as all patients present differently and the success rates for treatments are just as varied. This art exhibition will use of the Snowflake motif as well as the repetition of 2000 to represent MG in Australia.
The Crochet Snowflake Project
To show support for those with MG community members have begun Crocheting White/ Teal Snowflakes. we are calling for anyone who can crochet or is willing to learn to participate in this project. All donated Snowflakes will be used in the OhMG art exhibition in a piece called 'OhMG I'm Melting' - Thousands of crochet snowflakes joined together to create a melting liquid wall drape.
Details for those wishing to get involved:
Colour: White or teal (any shade, any yarn or yarn alternative type)
Yarn Ply: any that you wish to work with
Hook size: whatever is appropriate for your yarn
Size: around 10cm in diameter but all sizes and variations welcome
Pattern: head over the the blog page for some patterns that I have created or choose your own! Every person with MG is different as is every snowflake. I have also recorded some tutorials on YouTube that you can find here.
Send to:
The Crochet Snowflake Project
Po Box 628
Rochedale South
QLD 4123
Cant Crochet? No problem! If you have another way to create a snowflake be it oragami, knitting, tatting, embroider... the list goes on, its all welcome.
If you are a craft group or collection or enthusiasts looking to get involved, please reach out and, with the help of MGAQ, i can supply you with yarn.
National Mestinon Bottle Collection
I was diagnosed with MG in 2021, during covid. Throughout this time, MG patients experienced two long-lasting international drug shortages of Mestinon, leaving them under-medicated, sick, extremely distressed and at risk of Myasthenic Crisis, a life-threatening emergency where one loses the strength to chew, swallow, speak and breath. This exhibition highlights the precariousness of reliance on a single international sourced life saving medication.
Over the last 2 years I have been collecting empty Mestinon bottles. Mestinon is a brand name for, Pyridostigmine, importantly for many years it was the only version of Pyridostigmine available in Australia. When these shortages hit Australians where left waiting for alternatives to be brought into the country which took a very long time, and then even longer for those medications to be put on the PBS. I am not the only one who had desperate messages from other MG sufferers who had run out of medication and the best any pharmacy in a 50km area could do was fill the script in 4 days time.
These bottles are going to be turned into 24 hanging snowflake sculptures. I picked 24 as that's how many Mestinon bottles I was going through in 1 year. Since the Mestinon shortage my condition has changed, meaning I now go through 36 bottles in a year.
Where to send your Mestinon bottles:
Send to:
Chloe Wigg
Po Box 628
Rochedale South
QLD 4123
What to send: Mestinon 10mg, 60mg or 180 mg bottles, lids and boxes if you still have them. It is more cost effective to send in bulk so save up and send 10 at a go.
Any Members of MGAQ please contact the commitee who have kindly offered to cover postage costs.
Privacy info - All medication labels will be removed and used for other parts of the exhibition. The removal process clears any personal information on pharmacy labels. I am temporarily keeping a record of return addresses to send thank you cards at the end of the project. Please indicate if you would prefer not to have a thank you card sent and your information will not be kept. All information will be deleted once the thank you cards have been sent.
The Faces of MG
The Exhibition will feature 24 portraits of people with MG as well as their stories.
This part of the exhibition allows people with MG to have a voice. So much of MG affects the face, from ptosis (drooping eyelid) to swelling brought on by steroids and other vital treatments. In this digital age our face is how we are seen by the world. I can't remember the amount of times I have tried to unlock my phone when tired/ flaired and it says "no face detected" *sigh*
some portraits will be layered on top of Mestinon labels, some will be depicting double vision that effects so many, some will be comparison photos pre and post diagnosis or before and during a flair.
If you are have been Diagnosed with MG and are interested in sharing your story and image to be used in this exhibition please get in contact.
Acknowledgements
This project is supported by Myasthenia Gravis Association of Queensland, the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland and the Regional Art Development Fund (RADF). The Regional Arts Development Fund is a partnership between the Queensland Government and Logan City Council to support local arts and culture in regional Queensland.
