Introduction
The Detoxications 2010/2011
My two-dimensional wall reliefs are based on scientific anatomical sources such as CT and MRI scans, and autopsy images. Just as in medical science, I dissect the body layer by layer. This fragmentation done, the body or bodies are rearranged in an irrational way so their emotional meaning can be shown.
The Detoxications (i.e., non-toxic) series are works about purity and the longing for it. The white and gray parts are based on human skulls with their fontanel edges burst open. From these skull fragments flow and swirl organic shapes whose color and shape release the poisons.
La Médicine Pittoresque by A.L.G. Bayle published in 1834 is one of the inspirational sources for this series. Anatomical drawings are combined in this book with medicinal plants.
In my work, the coloured shapes reference human anatomy such as blood and adipose tissue but also the tendrils of homeopathic plants. These issues relate to the detoxifying or anaesthetic effect of medicinal and narcotic plants such as the Papaver somniferum or the Hypericum perforatum. In another piece, reference is made to the form of the chrysanthemum flower as a Japanese symbol for homosexuality.
On an abstract level, the coloured forms also reference mental detoxification. The fragmented skull sections and swirling shapes can be seen as stills from a mental autopsy. Inspired by the thoughts of the philosopher Montaigne (1533/1592), the work is also about recasting and rethinking the self, positioning one’s personal history, present and future.