Cancer sucks.
As Denver-based artist Silvana Vukadin-Hoitt faces the realities of breast cancer, she hopes to pay tribute to women everywhere fighting the ravaging disease with an upcoming art exhibition. The show, titled Altered States of Beauty, will take place at ATC DEN in the RiNo Art District on Saturday, April 6 at 6 p.m. Admission to the show is limited and a $10 donation for entry is suggested.
The exhibition features a crafted body of self-portraits that take on and express a form of therapeutic language, which resonates not just personally, but to women everywhere fighting their own battles.
Vukadin-Hoitt was initially diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of breast cancer in 2017. Chemotherapy was ineffective, and she had a mastectomy of her right breast followed by extensive radiation. Less than a year later, the cancer had come back and metastasized in her liver, bones and spine. With the natural proclivity to turn life into art, she began documenting her struggle through digital media, working through the physical, emotional and psychological horror of the disease. 
Vukadin-Hoitt’s cancer is terminal, and she hopes this project will raise awareness, serve as one part of her legacy and inspire women to remember the inner as well as outer beauty in such challenging circumstances. “Breast cancer is a killer. Creative self-care empowers, gives foundation to stand in strength. I believe in helping other survivors see their own beauty despite disease ravaging their bodies,” Vukadin-Hoitt said.
Her curated work serves to show how using relevant, available digital platforms for awareness and artistic expression, can become an outreach strategy to facilitate healing, therapy and self-care. The show invites discussion on cultural norms, beauty, ageism, and the female gaze in art and daily life.
In addition to her work, Vukadin-Hoitt hopes to present a curated collection of photos of other women including breast cancer fighters, survivors and those who lost their battle with the devastating disease. Interested participants can contact her at [email protected].
For more information: AlteredStatesOfBeauty.eventbrite.com .
Author: Mile High Mamas
