COURTESY RITA COURY Rita Coury's haunting photographs of breast cancer survivors include "Dee," above. Her collection of works are part of the GIRL FeST art exhibit on display at The ARTS at Marks Garage.

Seeing the body as journey

Candid images of breast cancer survivors highlight this year's GiRL FeST art exhibit

In art, it's still relatively rare for the viewer to be confronted with honest images of women in distress -- bodies coping with the challenges of illness, abuse, addiction, as well as societal constraints on the female gender.

So this year, the GiRL FeST art exhibit addresses the theme of "Women Overcoming the Body." One of the more arresting groups of work to be displayed will be photographs of Bay Area resident Rita Coury.

"In fact, I'm going to Los Angeles this weekend to talk and photograph three women," she said.

Even with all the candid talk about the disease, "actual images of women without breasts, or with mastectomy scars just after surgery, are usually not acceptable in the public eye," Coury says.

"I think it's infuriating that women with breast cancer feel they can't talk about it. I've known other women who think their scars are so hideous that they keep them hidden and feel ashamed. I think women should be proud of those scars and view them as rites of passage."

Coury said her portraits are done documentary-style, with handwritten statements accompanying each one. "I ask my subject not to wear makeup and don't pose. I want them to just look at me. What comes to the surface is real, uninterrupted emotion."

She realizes that her photos will have an impact on a Hawaii audience. "I know that Honolulu has a huge breast-cancer population, so showing these photos will be important. ... I've constructed enough subject matter for it to be a traveling show, and also to be a fundraiser to help inform people and get the word out."

COURY WILL also exhibit two images as part of a series on family. "They are of two different women. The subjects are friends of my immediate circle, supportive people in my life. I didn't have much family support, especially in my career choice as a photographer, and these people have very much become part of my life."

Another image, titled "Isolation," is of "my little sister (I'm one of seven) who has been mentally challenged all her life. The image reflects how she seems trapped in her body."

And finally, there will be photos from a series of self-portraits taken last year.

"I was battling a very challenging time of my life then," Coury said. "That was when I came out to my family, and was feeling the effects of that."

She laughs when she reflects on the kind of art she's been working on over the years. "I guess you can say I've been doing very emotional work."