cropc2aCrop7detMouth89

Cynthia Lin draws small fragments of the visible world blown up to a very large scale to challenge the perception and expectations of what we think we see before our eyes. In the past several years, she has concentrated on drawing human skin, especially orifices and scars. In cropc2aCrop7detMouth89, she depicts a portion of a human mouth. Lin's drawings are based on digital images made by having individuals press parts of their bodies directly on the glass surface of a scanner. The resulting scans are both in and out of focus depending on the degree of contact or separation of skin and glass across the field of view. Other distortions are introduced by pressure exerted, condensation, or secretion of bodily fluids. From a distance the drawings can appear to be photographic, but closer inspection reveals the varied activity of the artist's hand.