In a powerful fusion of art and social advocacy, a Red Deer-based artist is casting a compassionate light on the complex lives of the city's most vulnerable residents. Lana Michelin, a former journalist turned artist, has created a poignant exhibition titled 'Being Human: Portraits of Homelessness', featuring 12 individuals connected to Red Deer's Safe Harbour shelter.
Stories Behind the Faces
The exhibit, on display for the month of January 2024 at Calgary's Central Library, presents dramatic acrylic portraits accompanied by brief but harrowing biographies. Michelin painted the subjects, who ranged in age from 19 to 63, throughout 2023 and 2024. Their collective stories reveal a tapestry of trauma, loss, and resilience that challenges simplistic perceptions of homelessness.
One subject, Hodeman (Holly) Hashi, arrived in Canada from Somalia at age 13, already bearing deep psychological scars from war. She lost her mother during childbirth and her brother to an undiagnosed illness at age 11. Her trauma led to drinking by 19, and after losing custody of her son and her marriage, she found herself in a Red Deer temporary shelter at 35. "I think people would be surprised," says Michelin. "We accept people from other countries... and some of them have gone through a lot of hard stuff."
Honoring Lives Lost and Struggles Endured
The project is marked by both tragedy and raw honesty. Dianne Keen, the only subject depicted smiling, suffered a lifetime of abuse, mental health issues, and addiction before arriving at the shelter. She passed away at the end of 2023, before she could see her completed portrait.
Other stories include Brian McFadden, a 42-year-old former skateboarder surrendered to foster care at 11 and later imprisoned for 12 years for selling crack. In 2023, he was staying at Safe Harbour with his uncle, Earl McFadden, 57, who also appears in the exhibit. Earl battles addictions that began in his youth and is now in a methadone program due to severe heart and liver ailments.
Perhaps one of the most stark narratives belongs to Dut Mabor Malual. Forced to become a child soldier in Sudan at age 13, he received military training in Cuba and lived in the Soviet Union before seeking a new life in Canada. He now struggles with alcohol, prescription drug addiction, and anger issues. When Michelin asked about his hopes for the next five years, his reply was a simple, devastating: "to die."
Art as a Bridge to Understanding
Lea Mayan's portrait tells another story of profound adversity. Her mother was a drug dealer, and Mayan's childhood was filled with abuse. She lost three brothers and a sister at young ages, and her mother was later murdered during a home invasion. A few years before meeting Michelin, Mayan was sexually assaulted by a group of men; while being treated for those injuries, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Through her vibrant and expressive paintings, Lana Michelin aims to dismantle stereotypes and foster a deeper human connection. The 'Being Human' exhibit serves not just as an art display, but as a vital community dialogue starter. It forces viewers to look beyond the circumstance of homelessness and see the individual human beings, each with a unique and often heartbreaking history that led them to the shelter's doors. By giving faces and names to statistics, Michelin's work in Calgary challenges the public to confront the complex realities of vulnerability and survival in our communities.
