Catharine Devine Exhibition at the Villa Marina

Catharine Devine's new photography exhibition opens Saturday 14th May until Sunday 31st July. The exhibition features local man Will Holden through his Cancer journey.

Catharine told us a little bit about the exhibition:

"I knew Will through my friend, so I’ve always knew of him but I had never met him properly.
I remember when she first told me about him being diagnosed with cancer and I was so shocked. I thought he was too young for it. It may sound ignorant but I’ve never known someone to have cancer in their 20's, so it was a huge eye opener for me.

I had an internship at Gef last year and they were really encouraging towards my Photography work. Towards the end of my internship they said if I was to have any projects coming up, they would be happy to share. For a while, I didn’t have any ideas and drifted away from doing anything.

It wasn’t until I saw Will at an event and he instantly caught my eye. I had heard from my friend he was getting slightly better. When I saw him I just thought how great and confident he looked, I noticed he had lost his hair and he was rocking it! I instantly knew from that moment I wanted to photograph him and learn about his personal journey.

I was so lucky enough that Will was on board. At first the story was going to be shared for Gef but once I got more information I just felt it was right to take it further by doing an exhibition to help bring awareness to the public.

The exhibition is about Will Holden’s personal story with being diagnosed at 28 with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He gained symptoms during the beginning of the pandemic and it was a struggle to be seen to by a doctor due to the lockdown restrictions.

The project is aimed to be a positive message towards the public. Will is a great example of not letting his illness take away his joy, the photographs represent his strength to what he’s had to face, along with the challenges he has had to adapt to.

He radiates confidence, which I hope inspires anyone and everyone. I am so grateful that Will has been so open about his story. I have learnt so much and I truly hope this exhibition encourages anyone suffering from an illness that you are not alone."

The exhibition is in the upper gallery in the Villa Marina, it opens on Saturday 14th May until Sunday 31st July.