EADV

European Academy
of Dermatology & Venereology

#public_health_advocacy

#health_stigma

#lived_experience

45.9432° N, 24.9668° E

THE BRIEF

Beyond Skin

EADV commissioned us to reveal the human reality behind skin diseases, conditions that are often dismissed as superficial yet carry profound emotional, psychological, and social consequences.

They needed a fine-art portrait series, personal narratives and advocacy-ready assets capable of shifting public understanding and influencing policy conversations at a European level.

Project Scope

A fine-art photography series documenting lived experience across three countries

Personal narrative interviews crafted for advocacy, exhibitions and campaigns

Visual and editorial assets for EADV’s “Beyond My Skin” initiative

A cohesive narrative framework connecting individual stories to systemic challenges

Exhibition-ready materials for presentation at the European Parliament

Framework Building

Together, we produced:

• A human-centred story system revealing the hidden burden of skin disease
• A visual language that honours dignity while confronting stigma
• Tools enabling EADV to engage policymakers, clinicians and the public with clarity
• Assets that scale across advocacy, education, digital outreach and clinical communication
• A narrative foundation that bridges medical understanding with lived emotional truth

Insight

The work was shaped through deep collaboration with individuals living with a range of dermatological conditions, from alopecia and melanoma to Bullous Pemphigoid and Hidradenitis Suppurativa. Across the UK, Romania and Greece, we spent meaningful time with participants, allowing them to guide their stories and articulate the realities of stigma, isolation, pain and resilience.

This approach moved beyond documentation. It centred emotional truth: a ceramicist navigating cancer through art, a young woman buried beneath the weight of societal expectations, a father supporting his daughter through chronic illness. Each narrative exposed not only personal struggle, but the structural barriers to care and the psychological toll of being unseen.

Impact

The result is an advocacy body that is intimate, dignified and politically resonant. Through fine-art portraiture, narrative depth and strategic storytelling, the project strengthens EADV’s mission to challenge misconceptions and elevate dermatology as a field of profound human impact.

Set for exhibition at the European Parliament, Beyond My Skin serves as a catalyst for empathy and policy change, connecting public perception with the lived realities of millions across Europe.