scar tissue

Megan VanKanegan & Kelsey Bogdan
COLUMBIA COLLEGE CHICAGO / April 7-29, 2022

When a person has an injury, the body repairs the damaged tissue by forming scar tissue; a dense, fibrous connective tissue that covers the site of the injury. Scar tissue is vital in healing wounds, and its spiderlike network can be felt under the skin. However, it can lead to tightness, limited movement, and pain for some people. Though it represents a vital mending process, it can take years to be worked out. It changes over our lives and becomes less noticeable with time; yet ever-present. The organic, imperfect healing process in the formation of scar tissue is representative of this exhibition.

Not only does the material employment of these works mimic the body’s imperfect yet vital scar tissue matrices, but the connection and support networks established by the artists represent this in a non-physical domain. scar tissue is an exhibition that explores themes of catharsis, support, validation, and persistence when navigating the healing process. Networks both physical and emotional, individual and collective, interweave the works of Kelsey Bogdan and Megan VanKanegan, as the artists guide viewers along through their own formation, resolution, and care of scar tissue.

The following images are the work that I contributed to the exhibition: