cultural scab (2020)

artist statement

Canada is known for being a diverse country built on the foundation of immigrants; creating a unique cultural melting pot. Canada’s reputation of having a multicultural society is often viewed with the perspective of hope and opportunity – the promise of a better life. Often forgotten with the immigrant experience is how the influence of assimilation ultimately nurtures an unstable and fluid definition of identity. cultural scab (2020) explores notions of the psychological and socio-political pressures that diaspora feel to fulfill beauty standards based in colonization. The cosmetic phenomenon of skin bleaching is often used within communities of colour usually in the form of lotions or soaps in order to lighten ones skin in order to be deemed “beautiful.’ Stained with bleach poured excessively over top creating a destructive physical and chemical change, this piece illustrates an emotional and physical wound cause by the influence of a colonial past. The material itself, is also draped in a specific way to visually create the illusion of human skin but also folds in clothing, where bleach is most commonly used. cultural scab (2020) incorporates dyes and other chemical colourants to capture the textural irregularities that people of colour may use in attempt to achieve a definition that was not created with them in mind. cultural scab (2020) challenges the relationship between North American beauty standards and the diasporic attempt to cater to an audience who is not their own.