Piccininis Take on Nature, Technology
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
A wild mountain ibex, looking oblivious to a strange creature doing a one-handed handstand on its back, stands in the middle of LeeAhn Gallery Seoul in Cheongdam-dong. Upon closer scrutiny, the creature looks like a cross between a dugong and a seal but with human eyes, two hands and wavy brown hair.
The juxtaposition of a real animal with this hybrid creature is at the heart of Australian artist Patricia Piccinini's installation piece ``The Strength of One Arm.''
``What I'm interested in is our relationship with other species in our planet. I am interested in the life that we create and the animals that are of this world, like the ibex. The creature I created is from the idea of genetically engineered animals, which we are already doing right now in the world. In a way, the first impression I hope people will get is that 'wow, the sheer diversity and wonder of nature,'' she told The Korea Times at the gallery in Cheongdam-dong, Tuesday.
Piccinini is considered one of Australia's leading contemporary artists, who represented the country at the 50th Venice Biennale in 2003. Her oeuvre is characterized by her questions about technology.
``I'm interested in how technology changed the way we see ourselves and how we treat each other and the creations we make,'' she said.
She explores the boundaries of what is ``natural'' and ``artificial,'' as well as complex ethical issues on biotechnology and genetic engineering.
With the strange creatures in her works, Piccinini tries reminds viewers that humans and other living creatures came from the same genetic material, and humans have a duty to care for living creatures.
``All my work is about is how the distinction between us, the creatures, and the creatures that we create are very fragile. But we need to have that distinction because otherwise we couldn't treat other species so badly,'' she said.
Her earlier drawings from the ``Nature's Little Helpers'' series also tackle similar concepts. In ``Performing,'' and ``Observing," young children are seen interacting with genetically engineered creatures.
``It's a sweet picture, the girl close with the creature. But perhaps she's just too close with the creature, and that's irksome for us. We worry about that because we don't really trust the new life forms, even though we are making it. My work shows that children are open because they take the creatures for what they are, not what they can do for us and don't have suspicions,'' Piccinini said.
Most of her works are about nature that has been changed by technology, or technology that has been changed by nature. ``Strontium'' is a panel work made of plastic and covered in the shimmery paint used for cars. She calls it a ``celebration of purpose,'' and perhaps a commentary on consumer culture.
``This work says `I know that it's just the surface and it's very thin, but I still love it.' I know that driving a car is bad for the environment, but we still do all these things,'' she said.
Far from being heavy-handed with her message, Piccinini tries to convey it in a subtle way. ``I don't have the answers. I just pose the questions. I think in the future, people will be looking at my work and see that this is what people at this time were thinking about. This was what was going on in the world. My work is of this time, not of the future,'' she said.
It's been 10 years since the Melbourne-based artist participated in the Gwangju Biennale in 2000, and the show with LeeAhn Gallery is her first solo show in Korea.
``It's lovely to be back. I would have loved to come back but now's the first time I've had the opportunity to come,'' Piccinini said.
A handful of her works can be found at the gallery's Seoul branch at the first floor of Rodeo Plaza in Cheongdam-dong. Her main exhibition, which features 16 pieces, is at the gallery in Daegu, North Gyeongsang Province, through April 17. Visit www.leeahngallery.com.