As - Condition Invisible

• Photographer
  Darya Ryan

Charis is a young woman activist who has a debilitating condition called Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) - active inflammation of back bone. You can't really tell this by looking at her, but from what I understand, for her the pain is constant with some days being better than others. The first time I met her she was on crutches. On the day of our photo session she had shots in the neck which gave her some relief. Her disease may not be visible, but it changed her entire life. According to Charis, "Disability – in capitalism – is punished as a personal, moral and physical failure."

Darya Ryan is Russian-American artist known for conceptual portraiture. Her work is focused on emotionality and explores the idea of social constructs, which Darya questions and reinterprets in order to challenge familiar trends. Darya now resides in northern California, and is an award-winning artist whose work has been published in ICON, NorCal, Editorial CQ Magazine, Morningstar, National Geographic, Social Documentary Network, and the Edge of Humanity Magazine.