This event focuses exclusively on breast cancer survivors. Mastectomy scars can be severe and tattoo art offers an alternative to reconstruction, allowing survivors to transform scars into personal expressions of their experience. Funds raised from this event will provide tattoos for low income, post mastectomy women. Details are below.
When creating the work for auction, I wanted to steer away from the usual cliched images surrounding the disease. There would be no pink color scheme, no corporate sponsored sisters linking arms in solidarity, and absolutely no teddy bears (or anything else you could buy at a gas station quickie-mart, decals included).
I've personally always taken issue with what Barbara Ehrenreich termed in a great article for Harper's Magazine "The Cult of Pink Kitsch." As a survivor/victim/sufferer, what one can best hope for (after recovery of course) is some sort of abstract gained wisdom. Though if most victims are honest, they'll admit that they would have rather done without this knowledge, thank you. Still, one isn't given a choice and if you are lucky enough to make it through, one must go on with strength and dignity. Its the only way.
Suffering breeds empathy however, and the most positive result is that cancer victims may be able to guide others more effectively through the morass, or at least hold their hand as they go.
So this is a portrait of a girl who made it through. Life is still vibrant and she's still a force, sensual and intelligent, in all of her beautiful (though unsentimental) power and glory. And she knows more now, for what's that worth, and will go on to live with passion.
