IN MEMORY OF KAYLIN ANDRES

Kaylin Andres (1985-2016) received her BFA from California College of the Arts in 2010. While pursuing a career in textile & fashion design, Kaylin was diagnosed with a rare bone cancer, Ewings Sarcoma. In subsequent years, she bravely fought numerous reoccurrences, finally succumbing to the illness in 2016 at the age of 31.

In the years following her diagnosis, Kaylin transitioned from fashion to visual art, collaborating and working with many influential artists. Kaylin's journey as a young adult with cancer was chronicled on the MTV series World of Jenks, and in her colorful graphic novel Terminally Illin’, published by Last Gasp.

Kaylin's 2014 exhibition, Chemosynthesis, explored themes of Vanitas and the transformative properties of illness. Her final body of work was featured in a solo exhibition, VIATICUM, at Jenn Singer Gallery in June 2016, and combined photography with textiles, embroideries with hair lost from the side effects of chemotherapy and handmade reliquaries inspired by her own spiritual journey of healing and survival.

Kaylin Andres garnered a large audience through her blog, Cancer is Hilarious, where she documented her years of battling cancer with unnerving honesty and a heavy dose of sarcasm. She worked with notable fashion designers such as Betsey Johnson and Rachel Antonoff, and collaborated with visual artists in NYC. Kaylin was a fierce advocate for young adults with cancer, and was featured on NPR's The Takeaway, BBC Radio, MTV Act, The Huffington Post, and Planet Cancer.