‘Convalescence’ at Jefferson Hospital in Philadelphia explores health care disparities

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A few years ago, Pepón Osorio started losing weight. A lot of weight. Too fast. He started to worry.

The first object visitors encounter in Osorio’s new immersive installation at Jefferson Hospital, “Convalescence,” is the scale that sparked his journey through a medical crisis.

“I had lymphoma,” he said. “A rare case of lymphoma: mantle cell lymphoma.”

During Osorio’s seemingly endless series of doctor’s appointments, hospital stays, and chemotherapy sessions, he met many people along the way. Many were like Osorio — patients of color suffering from terrible conditions.

“While I was getting treatment, I heard a lot of stories,” said Osorio, who is Puerto Rican. “Stories of lack of medical care, lack of health insurance, difficulty getting to the place where they were getting treatment.”

“I’m the kind of artist who waits for the stories to be told. They come to me,” he said. “Then I translate them visually into these kinds of exhibitions.”