Our bodies largest organ is our skin. Determined by our genetics, we primarily have five skin types that consist of: sensitive, dry, oily, normal and combination. As we journey through this physical experience of life, our environment can also play a huge part in our skin’s development.
In this digital age we are currently living, our perception of reality is heavily influenced by media outlets. Throughout time we have seen scars, burns and rare skin conditions often portrayed negatively in film and TV. Characters in movies such as Freddy Krueger of “Nightmare on Elm Street”, Scar of “Lion King”, Two-Face of “The Dark Knight” are often depicted as evil, dangerous or wicked. And this is unfortunately how some people in every day life build their perception on people who have those said conditions.
In this body work, I hope to provide a positive narrative and draw awareness to our unique and varied skin conditions. And I would ultimately like to remind people that regardless of the shape or form our bodily temples present, we all have within us the capacity to love, understand and appreciate each life form we come across.
The main purpose of this project is to engage and educate the audience by learning through art about people with visible differences and skin conditions. A narrative based on relevance, acceptance and inclusion whilst promoting positive change in people's attitudes towards many differences.
The theme of acceptance and inclusion is visually captured and documented throughout the drawings, audios, and storytelling. Each drawing conveys a story. A non-fiction of truth told by the sitter to steer change. Each sitter has openly shared their personal story of their visible difference and journey so far.
The subject models for Drawing Awareness are predominantly women. For centuries women have been seen as beauty objects so capturing them with what appears to be ‘imperfections’ could help with challenging the beauty standards and feminine beauty ideals in modern society. A woman with clear skin, symmetrical features and a perception of health and reproductive abilities has always been the basic beauty standards for women. But in this series, I hope create space for women to be seen in a different and more inclusive light.
- Kelvin OKAFOR