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Art Tue Aug 31 2010
Street Anatomy
Over the past few decades, anatomy-- specifically medical illustrations-- has grown in popularity in art and design. You may recall the skull trend that took over the interior design world a couple years ago. Vanessa Ruiz, Art Director for a large pharmaceutical ad agency and author of the popular blog, Street Anatomy, has taken note of this trend and has curated a show devoted to anatomy in art at the Museum Of Surgical Science, opening this Friday.
Ruiz states, "Anatomy has become as pervasive in modern culture as it is in medical textbooks. The subject is used extensively in advertising, designer toys, fashion, interior design, street art, and more. Even the heart at the center of the classic ʻI heart Momʼ tattoo has taken a turn for the anatomically correct, as tattoo artists impart a more real and visceral emotion to the piece--a testament to the validity of the statement."
The exhibition will feature nine artists representative of the label-defying figures involved with this movement:
- CAKE, a New York City street artist with a fine art painterʼs aesthetic.
- Ryan Gerdes, a graphic designer in Portland who specializes in screen printing.
- Heather Tompkins of San Francisco, a filmmaker and illustrator who combines ink and digital media.
- Robyn Roth, a Kentucky-based tattoo artist and painter of skateboard decks.
- Jason Freeny, a corporate designer in New York who digitally creates anatomical charts of pop culture icons such as Hello Kitty and the Lego man.
- David Foox, a New Zealander who produced a collection of vinyl toys to promote organ donation.
- Emilio Garcia from Spain, a former web designer who originated the jumping brain motif now ubiquitous in a variety of 2-D and 3-D formats.
- Noah Scalin, a resident of Washington, DC, who created a skull from found objects every day for a year and documented his work on his Skull-a-Day blog, which spawned a skull-spotting phenomenon and led to the publication of a book and an appearance by the artist on the Martha Stewart show.
- Stephen J Shanabrook, an established contemporary artist most famous for his "Morgue Chocolates" series of candies cast from body parts.
The opening reception is this Friday from 5 to 9pm at IMSS. Vanessa Ruiz will be in attendance, and the entire Museum will be open for viewing. Guests will also have the opportunity to participate in the creation of an anatomically themed group graffiti piece. If you can't make it to the opening, you can go see the show through November 19.
