Omar Badrin
SKIN
JANUARY 27 - FEBRUARY 26, 2002
Opening: Sunday, January 27, 2 - 5 PM

Omar Badrin’s multi-media installation Skin challenges the notion of acceptance. As a Newfoundlander born in Malaysia his work explores cultural identity within a homogeneous place. Using latex as a metaphor for skin, Badrin challenges the viewers notions of belonging.

In one piece Badrin uses video projection of magnified human skin in the negative. Under the projection are petri dishes placed on a metal shelve with text printed on the covers and latex forms inside the petri dishes. For Badrin, skin is a commonality among all races. " For myself there is an internal struggle between trying to belong and being perceived as an outsider. Because I am another race, I’m perceived here as "different’, even though there is more genetic variation among people of any race than there is between two races." Badrin is a recent graduate of Sir Wilfred Grenfell College in Corner Brook, Newfoundland.