{"id":260,"date":"2017-08-03T20:36:27","date_gmt":"2017-08-03T20:36:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/www.gh360.ca\/?p=260"},"modified":"2017-08-29T17:59:55","modified_gmt":"2017-08-29T17:59:55","slug":"seeing-the-beauty-in-spina-bifida","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gh360.ca\/?p=260","title":{"rendered":"Seeing the beauty in spina bifida"},"content":{"rendered":"A<\/span> Toronto photographer said he wants students to look at disabilities in a new light at the Humber College spina bifida exhibit.<\/p>\n

Steve Kean has experienced his own journey living with spina bifida and sought to capture the moments of others with the same condition, that happens from birth during which the spine grows irregularly.<\/p>\n

Kean\u2019s intention was for the exhibit to present portraits of people living with it and how that condition takes over their bodies.<\/p>\n

Kean displayed two different portraits in his series: one coloured and one in black and white.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe coloured image gives the person in the photo the chance to be seen the way they want to be seen in every day life,\u201d he said. For example, there was a coloured photo that showed a singer holding a microphone and smiling.<\/p>\n

But, the other portrait allows people to focus on how spina bifida has reshaped their back,\u201d he said. With that same person, the black and white photo showed the texture of the man\u2019s back.<\/p>\n

Kean said he hoped the images challenge the viewer to understand how people with disabilities find purpose and continue to live with passion.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are not broken, crippled or different. We are beautiful. I want to give people with spina bifida who I shoot choice and personal power, something that \u2018the system\u2019 has taken away from us on a daily basis,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

First-year student Daniel Tadros was born with spina bifida and said people with physical disabilities need encouragement like Steve Kean\u2019s artwork.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are seen as people who have to overcome a lot but everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses,\u201d said Tadros.<\/p>\n

Event coordinator, Michael Thompson, said the purpose of the exhibit was to highlight the nature of the neural tube birth defect, as described by the province\u2019s Spina Bifida association\u2019s website, as well as challenge some of the myths regarding the abilities of those with the condition.<\/p>\n

\u201cKean\u2019s work challenges the perceptions of disability and ability, how we view art and culture and from whose perspectives,\u201d said Thompson.<\/p>\n

Tadros said he would love to be a part of Kean\u2019s artwork and that the exhibit was a great way to inspire others, with or without spina bifida.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important that we all come together and have a voice so that we can show that we are no different. We are just ordinary people,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

This was Kean\u2019s first time showcasing his artwork at a school\u2019s gallery and he was very pleased to see people attend the exhibit.<\/p>\n

The photographer said, \u201cIt\u2019s lovely to hear what people say about my work and to know that I may have moved someone emotionally by what I have done.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thompson said that the response to the exhibit was very positive and that Kean was able to bring a deeply unique and personal perspective.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt challenged people\u2019s perspective of body image and its connection to self-esteem, empowerment and beauty,\u201d said Thompson.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Artist brings hope to those living with spina bifida at Humber College exhibit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":262,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[48],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gh360.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gh360.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gh360.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gh360.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gh360.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=260"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.gh360.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gh360.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/262"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gh360.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=260"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gh360.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=260"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gh360.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=260"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}