Cynthia ‘Cince’ Johnston

Freddy & Ceydie

Port Saint John Gallery  |  March 18-April 29, 2022


Project Statement

On April 20th, 2008, a man in Croatia died. As part of his post-mortem legacy, he saved the lives of two individuals in Belgium—my daughter’s and Freddy’s. Ten years after their liver transplants, through this strange fate of a shared organ, they met one another for the first time—Ceydie aged 13 and Freddy aged 75—Freddy agreeably; my daughter with pubescent protest. Aside from an image of this brief meeting, this project is a visual portrait that separately documents the lives of Ceydie (now living in Canada) and Freddy, with the intent of raising awareness around the impact of cadaveric organ donation. 


Artist Biography

A former professional basketball player, Cynthia Johnston holds an MFA in Documentary Media, a BA in Humanities and a diploma in photojournalism. As a mother of five, her photography practice includes exploring intimate family narratives alongside street documentary and storytelling for change initiatives with Photographers Without Borders
in India. 

In 2021, Johnston was the Runner-Up 17th Julia Margaret Cameron Non-Professional Woman Photographer of the Year, winning both Portrait Non-Professional Series and Children Non-Professional Series. She has participated in 20 group exhibitions ranging from Russia to India to the US, along with two solo exhibitions in Toronto at X University (formerly known as Ryerson University.)