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The work ranges from entire installations to small scale intriguing pieces in finely crafted presentations reminiscent of wunderkammers: strange, curious collections which seem to refer to religious and magical framings of the body in counterpoint to an underlying contemporary theme, the functional commoditization of body parts. The work goes further than this, however, in referencing current bio-scientific research into the very stuff of the human being, from stem cells to genetic material. In this way it questions the way in which our conception of humanness is changing. |
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Magic, Medicine and Religion: Lorraine Clarke – Nigel Young
The work ranges from entire installations to small scale intriguing pieces in finely crafted presentations reminiscent of wunderkammers: strange, curious collections which seem to refer to religious and magical framings of the body in counterpoint to an underlying contemporary theme, the functional commoditization of body parts. The work goes further than this, however, in referencing current bio-scientific research into the very stuff of the human being, from stem cells to genetic material. In this way it questions the way in which our conception of humanness is changing.
The strangeness of the work, its surreal quality, may derive on one hand from such fascinating source material as the book of 18th century Florentine medical waxworks which she keeps in her studio. On the other hand the strangeness brings the viewer insistently back to the unfamiliarity of our familiar flesh in contemporary scientific research contexts. Ancient rites and traditions and medical practices discovered from years of research are woven into the work, with inspiration drawn from collections such as the "Votive Offerings" at the Duomo di Torino; the "Amulet" collections at Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford and the anatomical collection of the Royal College of Surgeons Museum, London.
Lorraine, an artist who combines a meticulous attention to detail with a vivid imagination, is clearly at the forefront of the ever-expanding horizons of contemporary British and European experiments marrying traditional arts with adventures in science and technology. Her work expresses her burgeoning interest in the human body, from the tremendous impact of biotechnology to the awesome complexity of the psyche.
Dr. Ruth Richardson, writer and medical historian writes: “Materials regarded as detritus, in Lorraine’s hands, transform into objects new and strange, yet somehow familiar—tugging at the memory-strings of the mind, deep, deep, somewhere far back into the primitive subconscious. Her collection of ‘Fertility Dolls’ for example, is extraordinary. Unified, like a museum collection, by means of careful presentation, their disparity is astounding. They are made from the widest range of materials, mostly discarded and found again by the artist—from plant roots and flotsam to weathered plastics. They take—naturally or by some deft twist of art—human form. Presenting them to us as a collection, framed, caged and nested in series, Lorraine invites us to reconsider what it is we consider human, what organic, what manufactured, what magical. The ancient, the primitive and the modern look back at us, in our own two-armed, two legged, two eyed predicament.
“The sense of time span in Lorraine’s work seems immense, as old as humanity. The body is where modernity and the primitive meet and her work seems to explore the paradox by reaching back into the earthy magic of ancient times with the precision of the surgical laser, celebrating human multiplicity and creativity within the context of the organic creativity of Nature. Central to her work is the notion of kinship, healing, the preciousness and precariousness of life and the multivalency of hope.”
“Nosce Te Ipsum” is an excavation of the human being, a journey into the deepest layers of the mind and body, evoking the past as well exploring contemporary sensitive political, ethical and social issues, while seeking to subject the viewers to the beauty and vulnerability of their own physicality.
nternationally renowned artists David Medalla and Adam Nankervis will create performances in response to the work, presenting them during the preview evening. David is the founder of numerous movements over the years and has work in the British Museum. Adam is founder of MuseumMan in Berlin and Liverpool and along with David is co-founder of the London Biennale.
"The exhibition is funded by Arts Council England’s Grants for the arts programme"
