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Please join ART WORKS Projects for the opening of our exhibition Women of Togo by photographer Zoe Rain in partnership with Integrate Health. We will be joined by Rain who will give a short artist talk about her work.
Remarks to start at 6:30pm.
Refreshments will be served.
Free and open to the public.
Togo, a country of eight million people, has been forgotten by much of the world. UNICEF named Togo the 15th Most Dangerous Place to be born in the world in 2018. Nearly one in ten children will not live to see his or her fifth birthday—a rate fifteen times higher than that of developed countries. The five major killers of children in Togo—malaria, diarrhea, pneumonia, HIV, and malnutrition—are all easily treatable conditions.
In February 2018, photographer Zoe Rain joined Integrate Health/Santé Intégrée, a community-led international health organization working to create a world where everyone, everywhere has access to high-quality healthcare in Togo, West Africa. Rain toured four clinics in the rural communities of Djamdè, Kpindi, Sarakawa, and Adabewere where, historically, a lack of resources, including no running water or electricity costs lives. The artist was on hand to document the impact that clinic renovations had to these distinct, isolated communities.
In Women of Togo, Rain uses a skill set and aesthetic cultivated capturing celebrity portraits—a look that we have come to associate with red carpets and award shows—to document the integrity, autonomy, self-reliance, and pride of Togolese women. For many Togolese, the frustration of having no opportunities, options, or resources can leave people feeling that they have no control. Integrate Health works to empower families to regain ownership over their health, something Rain beautifully illustrates through her photography.
To learn how to support Women of Togo as it is exhibited in Chicago and around the world, please contact Annalise Flynn-Taylor at ataylor@artworksprojects.org.