Kelvin Okafor is set to unveil his deeply moving new exhibition, “Drawing Awareness,” running from June 5 to July 3, per hope93.com. This powerful series of pencil and charcoal portraits aims to challenge conventional beauty standards and foster empathy by celebrating individuals with visible skin differences.
The renowned British hyperrealist artist, celebrated for his astonishingly detailed works often mistaken for photographs, dedicates up to 500 hours to each piece. His latest collection turns a compassionate lens on sitters including international model Winnie Harlow (Vitiligo), Grammy-winning musician Seal (Discoid Lupus Erythematosus), and activist Katie Piper (acid attack survivor). Other notable subjects include burns survivor Catrin Pugh and albinism advocate Shimbe Avalumun Queen.
Inspired by his connection with Winnie Harlow’s story, Okafor’s “Drawing Awareness” project seeks to “offer a positive narrative and raise awareness of the uniqueness and beauty of various skin conditions.”
He stated, “Through this work, I aim to offer a positive narrative… Ultimately, I hope to remind people that, regardless of the shape or form our bodies take, we all share the same capacity to love, to understand, and to appreciate one another.”
Okafor calls the exhibition, presented in partnership with charities like Face Equality International, The Katie Piper Foundation, and Changing Faces, is more than an artistic showcase, “a movement.” It’s a call for greater understanding, representation and a challenge to societal attitudes towards visible differences in an image-saturated world.
Okafor, the first Black artist to be permanently exhibited in the UK’s House of Commons, continues to use his extraordinary talent to not only capture visual likeness but also profound emotional truths, making “Drawing Awareness” a must-see event.
•Featured image: Catrin Pugh/Burns Survivor / 2021/Pencil on Paper
(42 x 59.5 cm|16 1/2 x 23 3/8 in)
