Art by Kat Sin

Kat Sin is a Toronto- based visual artist, maker, activist and educator. This blog serves as an ever-evolving record of their artistic endeavours. Check out  messageinabottleproject.tumblr.com 

[katkre8sart]

M, whoever you are, thanks! Thanks for giving me hope! Even though I don’t have access to the high-resolution scanner, I will be able to post your story as a series (for now) using my sad little document scanner. #messageinabottleproject lives on! #art #hope #torontoartist #spoonie #medication #callforentries

[katkre8sart]

Nothing Left But Me

“Scleroderma // Squeezes and pulls // Twisting and mangling // My suffocating flesh // No blood, no oxygen // Tissues die while I watch year after year after year // Yeah, it might get better with honey and coconut oil. // Thanks for the unsolicited opinion. ———

Primary Biliary Cholangitis My liver is angry // My blood is cold and white with undigested fats and ammonia // My blood is green with bile // My bile is black with melancholy // I used to be… // I used to be… // Now there’s nothing left but me.”

[katkre8sart]

I was incredibly fortunate to be chosen to participate in #beingscene #exhibition put on by @workmanartsto ! This organization, in only a few months, has supported my artistic development so much! I wish I knew about them earlier. But I feel that somehow, things happen in their own time. Today I spent time with many people I care about, and in this photo I am truly happy.

[katkre8sart]

OMFG I sculpted a finger! Not the middle finger :) Joining @workmanartsto was the best idea ever! #artstudent #practicepracticepractice #hands #fingers #torontoartist #plasticine #happy #torontomaker #exploring

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I consider this project to be one of my largest accomplishments. I need help keeping it alive. I've only had 1 submission last month, and I know that there are more #stories that need to be told. #messageinthebottleproject #torontoartist #livingwithchronicillness #artstory https://messageinabottleproject.tumblr.com/

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Making a #tree from some #wire , #yarn , and strips of an old #sweater . #creativereuse FTW Can't wait for the #finalresult to be revealed next week. #torontoartist #trashtreasure #recycle #mappingtheblock #thegreenestcity #parkdale

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Had a chance to use my new #stencil. #allbodiesaregoodbodies #loveletterstomyself #torontoartist #the6ix #sidewalkart #torontostreetart

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Making a #tree out of #yarn and #wire. #makingroomcommunityarts

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More #experimentation tonight. I'm exhausted, but content. #bubbles #art #play #torontoartist #testing

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Hung up a small #artwork on my #studio wall. It was my first attempt at #marbling using #liquitexpouringmedium . I am slowly learning to acknowledge the value of trying, of #play and #exploration. I'm developing a #workshop once I master this technique.

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This project took me a while, but thanks to #valuevillagediy contest, I was motivated to finally finish it. Materials used: old and comfy heels, #book of Canadian poetry, paisley fabric, glitter, Mod Podge. Book, #fabric and #glitter were all sourced from Value Village! I am super excited to wear them to a party this week. #diy #upcycling #torontoartist #creativereuse #shoes #artistlife #wordporn #poetry #canlit #collage

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These are some of the tags I’ve put around the city as part of my #loveletterstomyself project. 

This is an excerpt of an interview I gave to the Fresh Collective:

“Love Letters to Myself was a happy accident. I was working on a slightly different idea that involved text and expressing self-compassion, and then I got access to a laser cutter through my volunteer placement (thanks, Steam Labs! I couldn’t have done it without you) and I made several stencils out of cardboard with statements that resonated with me at the time. The first four I made were “BE KIND TO YOURSELF”, “HONOR YOUR DISCOMFORT”, “IT’S OKAY TO HAVE A BAD DAY” and “IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE PERFECT”. I had some spray paint I impulsively bought at Michael’s lying around, so on a warm October day, I apprehensively tagged a sidewalk with one of those statements for the first time. Seeing as graffiti is often viewed as vandalism, I decided early on that I would only put my “Love Letters” on sidewalks or walls that were already covered in other writing, to minimize the potential damage. Since I started on this project, I’ve made about a dozen stencils with different phrases, and put between 150 to 200 tags all over the city. It’s now paused for the winter, but I’m planning to resume it once it gets warm again.”

And this is from an early draft of my artist statement.

“This project evolved out of my struggle with practicing self-compassion, which psychologist Kristin Neff defines as “extending compassion to one's self in instances of perceived inadequacy, failure, or general suffering”. As a child, I was taught that loving myself was sinful, and that in order to be a good person I had to always put the needs of others above my own. Eventually, I have come to realize that I’ve become trapped within my own perfectionism. Nothing I was, did, or had was good enough. The harder I tried to push myself, the more damage I inflicted to my health, and relationships with others. Martyrdom was not working. I desperately needed to find a way to stop kicking myself when I am down, and treat myself with kindness instead. In October 2016 I made a number of cardboard stencils with phrases that I felt I most needed to hear. Through the action of repeatedly tagging public surfaces (mostly sidewalks), the phrases on the stencils seeped into my consciousness and began to displace the negative self-talk I habitually engaged in. This project has helped me cope with difficult events on both the personal and global level: instead of giving in to sadness I now had a task, even something of a purpose.”

I’m hoping to resume this project in the spring. 

[katkre8sart]

A different/newer pilleidoscope. A little more light. :) Can't wait for the exhibit.

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Something I am developing for Spoonderland. It's a kaleidoscope made from a pill bottle with prescription medication inside. And a little bit of light and magic.

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Message in a Bottle Project: How To Submit

This project is meant to highlight the often invisible struggle of individuals with chronic illness*, as well as the richness of their life experience/inner world. I am using a metaphor of being mired on a deserted island for the isolation that is felt by those who are ill. Through a courageous act of semi-anonymous storytelling, I hope to get these messages across to the “mainland”.

1. Find one of your prescription pill bottles. There is no size or shape requirement. It should be from a medication that is significant to you in some way. Did it help? Did it cause problems? Was it the first does that you ever took? Is it a medication that has stigma attached to those who take it? These are just some questions that may or may not help.

2. Take a black permanent marker and censor as much or as little information as you want. It’s your choice about what you want to keep and what you want to obscure. For example, for my own message in a bottle, I only chose to back out part of my name, the doctor’s name and the prescription number. You can choose to black out everything, or nothing. However, you should know that this will be included in an art exhibit, and seen by others.

3. Take a sheet of paper (any kind, or size). Write a statement, or a short paragraph on living with your illness. It can be as simple as your diagnosis and how it affects you, or wishes/regrets you have, or perhaps a warning. It’s entirely up to you. 

4. Contact me via this blog for mailing instructions, or to arrange pick-up or drop-off (if you are in Toronto).

*I have broadened the scope of this project to include those who have had life-changing experiences associated with short-term illnesses. Also, illness and/or disability can be physical OR mental, visible OR invisible. 

[katkre8sart]

I am happy to announce my upcoming undergraduate solo exhibit, titled “Spoondreland”. This mixed-media exhibition is meant to combat stigma and shatter silence around navigating life with a chronic health condition. The artworks featured in this exhibit speak to the lived experience of illness, comment on the pharmaceutical industry, and seek to promote compassion and understanding across the spectrum of abilities. 

Exhibit runs from January 29th until February 8th.

[katkre8sart]

Everybody has stories to tell. Every day has the potential to be a turning point in one's life. Skeletons in the closet rattle their bones, and monsters under the bed crawl out for a snack once in a blue moon. Sirens sing, and banshees wail. Inside you, inside me, there is a wealth of secrets to be discovered. Wonderful and terrifying landscapes await beyond the iron curtain of normalcy. Come visit the islands of my dreams, the peaks of my triumphs, the rivers of my sorrow. It might be just the vacation you are looking for.

Kat Sin 2012-04-23

Back when I wrote this years ago, I had absolutely no idea that I would one day have the courage to call myself an artist and share my art. I fantasized about it, sure, but I didn’t think it was possible. I think I’m finally ready. Welcome to the first blog dedicated solely to my artistic pursuits.