Past
VITRINE: Case Study004
Case Study004 by Christina Oyawale
06 March – 27 April, 2020
Case Study004 is a photographic installation by Christina Oyawale that focuses on the notions of racial identity, specifically the significance of skin and melanin of the black body. The work follows a self-exploration of the artist’s diagnosis with a rare skin condition, mycosis fungoides, at the age of sixteen. Through the assemblage of self-portraits and family archives, the series explores one’s relationship with skin, aging and their effects on mental health.
The project is a meditation; a self-reflective journey of aging in skin that feels foreign. Oyawale focuses on comprehending the chronological stages of a skin condition while also navigating complex feelings of fear and dissatisfaction with melanin during their formative years.
Throughout the project, Oyawale experiments with the photographic medium as something beyond two-dimensional prints, allowing for time-based and sculptural configurations. Formally, Case Study004 explores various aesthetic elements: negative versus positive, the use large format negatives over prints, and familial archives that read as a timeline.
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Biographies
Christina Oyawale
Christina Oyawale is a Toronto based photo artist and designer, studying Photography Studies at Ryerson University. They are often fascinated with creating imagery that reflects the notion of the strangely familiar by concentrating on the humanistic aspects of everyday life. Their work at times being a direct reflection of their personal experiences with racial and sexual identity, often stylized as fashion or documentary style photo based art making and design.