Women show skin for a good cause, education
A new photo exhibition raises awareness about skin cancer. An AA International Women’s Day photo exhibition raises cancer awareness with revealing images
When WW Toronto photographer Bettina Bogar visited a local art gallery a few years ago, she was struck by a picture of Marilyn Monroe, facing Douglas Kirkland’s camera wearing nothing but white bedsheets.
“I thought, she feels so comfortable in her skin. I’ve never seen a woman feeling that good about herself,” says Bogar, who ww decided to create her own shoot inspired by that iconic image, with the theme of women’s empowerment.
The result is a photo exhibition called Skinwork, now open to the public, with free admission, until March 16 at Toron-to's to’s Artscape Youngplace ( 180 Shaw St.).
But what began as a “just for fun” side project quickly took on a bigger mission. To TT get help with the planning, Bogar discussed the idea with a dear friend, the late Heather Mundle, who urged her to attach aa the project to a good cause: skin cancer awareness. The message was personal: Mundle had previously had a cancerous mole removed. In September, while Skinwork was in the early Mundle died from complications of metastatic melanoma at age 29.
“When we learned she had passed away, it was shocking,” says Katherine Murdick, the project’s creative director. In honour of Mundle, Murdick and Bogar gg changed Skinwork from a one- off shoot into a skin- health awareness campaign and a larger movement, led by an all- female team. For the exhibit, Bogar put out an open call for volunteer subjects on Instagram, and ended up shoot-
ing 60 women over two days in January. All of the women felt connected to the cause of skin health in some way; some had had cancerous moles removed, too.
The photos celebrate the female figure and skin in intimate and varied detail, including close-ups of skin tags, scars and markings, all cast in a bright and beautiful light. None of the images were retouched. “The first thing we asked [each woman] was, ‘What do you love about your body? And what do you hate about your body?’ We wanted to capture both,” says Murdick, noting that each person only bared what they felt comfortable baring.
One intention at the shoot was to enable women to view what they consider imperfections through a different lens, the way others view them. One subject had a scar she always hated, recalls Murdick, but she changed her mind when she saw Bogar’s photo of it. “It looks like a constellation — we think it’s beautiful,” says Murdick. Beyond showing women how beautiful they are, Bogar’s greater goal is to encourage everyone to take their skin health seriously.
This includes recognizing suspicious-looking moles and signs of possible skin cancer — and seeing a dermatologist right away if something doesn’t seem right.
Characteristics of a possible melanoma include a mole with asymmetry, an irregular or hazy border, a non-uniform colour, a larger diameter, and any change in the appearance of an existing mole. Skin cancer, including melanoma, is considered one of the most preventable types of cancer. The biggest risk factor is UV radiation, so using sunscreen and avoiding tanning beds are crucial for skin health.
All of the photographs in Skinwork can be purchased as prints (skinwork.info), with 100 per cent of the proceeds going to the Melanoma Network of Canada, the project’s official charitable partner.
Bogar’s greater goal is to encourage everyone to take their skin health more seriously
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