‘Heroines’ – Faces of Addiction by Lincoln Clarkes
Within a five-year period, beginning in 1996, Lincoln Clarkes shot four hundred different photographs of women with drug addictions in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. When asked why he concentrated only on women, he responded:
“I approach it like Titanic going down: women and children first. I don’t have enough life boats.”
The pictures are visual narratives of the ongoing, sometimes seemingly permanent victimhood of the women. The landscape tells of an apathetic government, indifferent public, prolonged environmental health threats, and a vulnerable social safety net.
