Archives for May 2010

Patrick O'Hare's "Sam's Club, Waterbury Connecticut,"2004. C-Print on Fuji Crystal Archival Paper, 20 x 24"

The human body as a subject in art tells us as much about our society as anything intended by the artist. Even representations of the inner workings of the body reflect social beliefs and cultural perspectives. The ancient Chinese, for example, had no tradition of autopsy and as a result had no clear mapping of the internal organs. Despite this, they were able to develop a sophisticated system of medicine based on the outward signs of inward disease.

Today’s dominant perspective on the human body is a systems approach (circulatory system, central nervous system, etc.). This can be interpreted as an expression of the way we educate and organize physicians professionally rather than an empirical truth.

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