Cell Project Space

" In the House of My Father (1996–97) is a close-up photograph of Rodney’s palm, holding a small house: a symbol of security and belonging. Closer inspection reveals that the structure is made from the artist’s own skin, which was removed during his treatment for sickle cell anaemia, a disease that disproportionately affects people of colour. It’s a powerful image, encapsulating the politics of illness and inequality. ‘Ownership is the most intimate relationship that one can have to objects,’ wrote Walter Benjamin in his 1931 essay ‘Unpacking My Library’; never is that more
evident than in being the owner of a sick body."