Hidden Power: Survivors of Modern Slavery
Christina Chan
May 1st - June 21st, 2026
Hidden Power: Survivors of Modern Slavery presents Christina Chan’s hyperrealistic drawings of survivors of modern slavery, including forced labor and sex trafficking. Today an estimated 50 million people are held against their will, generating more than $236 billion each year from industries and products including smartphones, fashion, chocolate, sugar, bananas, hospitality, and commercial sex.
In this updated collection Chan focuses on the beauty and power of hands that caught in modern slavery, in addition to portraits of survivors she has come to know through conversation and research. These hands and faces are drawn with beauty and intricacy, revealing both the quiet dignity and resilience of those who have endured. The gestures may appear peaceful, yet they carry unseen histories of exploitation and survival.
Visitors are encouraged to question the hidden cost behind familiar products and to explore what awareness means: do we continue life as usual, or find ways to change?
About the Artist
Christina Chan is a self-taught art activist dedicated to raising awareness about modern slavery. Through her art, she tells the stories of survivors, hoping to educate viewers on the prevalence of modern slavery and its connections to their everyday choices.
Her journey began at a Christian conference in college, where she first learned about this issue. Since then, the global number of people trapped in modern slavery has doubled to 50 million. This crisis is intricately tied to products we consume daily, from chocolate to smartphones, and is driven by factors like climate change, war, gender inequality, and poverty.
As the saying goes, “once you see it, you can’t unsee it.” In 2022, she decided to do just that - make the survivors seen. Since then, she’s spent hundreds of hours poring over their faces, using charcoal to capture their strength and beauty.
Christina has done solo exhibits, including at Lost Origins Gallery in Washington, D.C., and has completed commissions for businesses and organizations, including the Global Fund for Ending Modern Slavery for presentation at the World Economic Forum in Davos, and The Aruna Project, a business employing survivors of human trafficking. She’s also dedicated to mobilizing the younger generation with exhibits and talks at universities including Cornell University.
Outside of art, Christina is committed to ending the cycles of modern slavery in the corporate world through responsible business practices and economic empowerment for survivors.
You can read more about Christina on her website at https://www.chanceportraits.com/. Follow her on Instagram at @chance.portraits