cosmos within

The narrative of this woman pictured represents those whose brilliance and energy are being submerged, unseen and unheard. Those living with systemic racism, those who have been trapped in toxic relationships, and those who wish to push against patriarchy within their country or community. This painting is in recognition of those whose voices are silenced and whose freedoms are suppressed.

The overarching theme of the painting is: there is brilliance flourishing within her. She is a wonder, full of wisdom, intelligence and passion. Her mind is above the water, her hair transforming into the cosmos. She is so much more than what others may perceive her to be or how she is treated. She is life. She is resilient, her mind is travelling places and her wildest dreams are forming. The original painting is oil on canvas, 24×30″ by Jasmine Pearl Schut.

When Jasmine, the artist of the painting, and Yasin met at a festival where she was showing her artworks, Yasin was so mesmerized by the painting that she pitched her the idea of bringing it to life. Moving forward, they knew the body paint and makeup is not going to be an easy task but luckily Amelia got on board and tremendously helped them with it. The next goal was seeking the model — they talked to so many people until, eventually, they came across Akur who was the best person they could’ve ever imagined for this. Thankfully, she expressed interest and flew from Calgary to Vancouver to join the project. Last but not least, Benjamin was instrumental in assisting with the shoot, otherwise, they would have most likely caused flooding in the building — 400 litres of water in a custom-made plexiglass box inside my apartment was no joke! The post-production took Yasin around a month or so and had a lot of visual effects done in Houdini and Nuke.

The interpretation is yours, though perhaps it sparks a few feelings and thoughts in you as it did to them.