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UHN Living Liver Donation: Kidney Gratitude

10 (3)

by Wenting Li

UHN Living Liver Donation: Kidney Gratitude

2019

#GiveLifeUHN

Artist's Message on Participating at UHN's Living Organ Donor Recognition Event with this Piece

While checking off ‘organ donor’ when renewing my health card is a force of habit, when approached to work on this project I knew very little about the living organ donor side of organ donation. So working on this piece has been really illuminating!

As an illustrator I’m attracted to this type of work because it’s a very direct, visual approach to problem solving. While the projects I take on might not always be the most vital of work, images do have a power different from anything else. And when I get to dip into a really meaningful and complex subject – like living organ donation in this case – illustration can be a really useful tool to help say something meaningful in a relatively accessible, approachable way.

My work tends to explore whimsy, metaphor, ecclecticism and play. I’m interested in more concrete things as well, like diversity of representation, and doing work that aligns with my personal convictions. This particular piece aims to create a visual space that is welcoming and inclusive to show that regardless of cultural and economic strata, organ donation can be an option for everyone. It’s also inspired by the idea that living organ donation is a shorter pathway to transplantation. In doing research for this project, I found out that potentially anyone can be a living organ donor for anyone else, even a stranger; organ donation is for everyone, and everyone arrives at it differently.

It’s been an honour to work on art for this event and to support the Centre for Living Organ Donation. I hope everyone here tonight feels that the artwork is a worthwhile backdrop to foreground their messages of gratitude. Please freely write all over the art!