Rahile Omer
Justin Fondrie (Milwaukee, WI)
Cyanotype on Handmade Paper, 5.5” W x 9.5”
Artwork:
Each cyanotype uses an original source image taken of each person when the biometric data was being collected. The ID photo is printed onto handmade newspaper.
Artist Statement:
The faces you see come from a leaked database called The Xinjiang Police Files. A collection of 2,884 leaked photographs surfaced of Uyghur people who are/were in a re-education camp or detention center. Since the images were taken in 2018 the status of each detainee is unknown. Each cyanotype uses an original source image taken of each person when the biometric data was being collected. The ID photo is printed onto handmade newspaper. The newspaper acts as an ever-changing medium symbolizing the revolving door of headlines of what people remember and what gets published. A cyanotype is a timebased process mirroring the time-based process of newspaper headlines. Much like a human life the newspaper, cyanotype chemistry, and image of each person will change over time and will eventually fade away. A reminder of the temporality of life and the fragile nature of our existence.
From the We're Doing It ALL Wrong® - 4th Annual Art Exhibition