Art Not for the Squeamish

By The Real Todd Harrison | March 28, 2008 | 6:33 PM | 0 Comments

Ever wonder what you are made of? Literally? Bodies The Exhibition and Bodies Revealed Fascinating + Real will show you. This is no ordinary day at the museum. The art in these exhibits are actual human specimens.

Controversial from its inception, The Exhibition showcases preserved human bodies dissected to display bodily systems. The Exhibitions take you along an eerie trip through the human body; starting first with the skeletal system and then moving through the muscular, nervous, circulatory, digestive, respiratory, urinary, and reproductive systems. If that isn't enough, The Exhibitions take you through fetal development and the treated body.

If you have any doubt, trust me - the bodies are real. The human bodies have been preserved permanently by a process called "polymer preservation" to prevent decay. The bodies are prevented from decay by a means of a rubberization process patented in the 1970s by anatomist Gunther von Hagens. The essence of the process is the replacement of water and fatty material in the cells of the body first by acetone and then by plastics, such as silicone rubber, polyester or epoxy resin.

The arrangement of the bodies is what is so impressive. Some are playing sports, others show the human intestine stretched out. You will see the black lung of a smoker, and all of the arteries and veins without the body itself. Another part of The Exhibitions show the fetus in various stages of development. All of the fetuses died due to miscarriages, and the disorders which caused each are highlighted at the show.

Wondering where the bodies come from? The cadavers were donated for research by the Chinese government, because all the bodies at the time of death allegedly had no close next of kin or immediate families to claim the bodies. All of the dissections took place at the Dalian University in Liaoning, China and the resulting specimens were leased for the five-year duration of the show.

As with a lot of progressive art, The Exhibitions have been plagued by controversy. Prior to the 2005 U.S. premiere in Tampa, Florida, the Florida Attorney General fought the opening of the exhibit saying the State Anatomical Board's approval should be required. This fight went nowhere.  The exhibit opened two days ahead of schedule at the Tampa Museum of Science and Industry.

Next, came questions regarding where the bodies actually came from. David Barboza from the New York Times wrote an article claiming that there was "a ghastly new underground mini-industry" with "little government oversight, an abundance of cheap medical school labor and easy access to cadavers and organs." It was discovered that the specimens were not formally donated or knew they would end up being displayed.

In June 2007, Elaine Catz quit her job of 11 years as science education coordinator for the Carnegie Museum of Science in protest over the exhibit, citing religious objections and questions regarding provenance, including the issue of rumors of harvesting of live organs from Falun Gong prisoners in China. Catz, who helped coordinate field trips for the Carnegie Science Center prior to resigning in June 2007, maintains "it teaches that, once he is deceased, there is nothing wrong with taking a person's body without his consent; it teaches that there is nothing wrong with exploiting the dead in order to make a profit, as long as it is in the name of science or education or art. It teaches that it is incredibly easy to dehumanize others."  In 2007, a Washington State bill was introduced to ban exhibits of bodies without clear documentation of consent, and a similar bill was introduced in January 2008 by California legislator Fiona Ma.

Regarding the educational concerns around these exhibits, St. Louis Diocese Archbishop Raymond Burke directs Catholic Schools there to avoid field trips, citing serious questions for Catholics. Prior to the exhibit's opening in Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese endorsed the educational content of the exhibition, while noting that it would not be appropriate for everyone and welcoming continued discourse regarding the place of such exhibits in society. Rev. Daniel Pilarczyk, Archbishop of Cincinnati, issued a statement "I do not believe that this exhibit is an appropriate destination for field trips by our Catholic schools."

Even with all of the controversy surrounding The Exhibitions, I think it is a must see. It is informative, educational and truly, art. There is nothing else like it and it is sure to amaze. 

The Exhibitions are currently showing in Madrid, Buenos Aires, Barcelona, Cincinnati, Santiago de Chile, Branson, Prague, Lisbon, Pittsburgh, San Diego, Las Vegas, New York, Fort Lauderdale, Hartford, and Washington D.C.

http://www.bodiestheexhibition.com/

References:

"BODIES...The Exhibition Makes Its World Debut", Premier Exhibitions, Inc., 26 July 2005; redorbit.com; Columbia University; USA Today news item Aug 13, 2005; Tampa Bay Business Journal, July 2005; AB 1519 Assembly Bill - AMENDED; Statement From The Diocese of Pittsburgh on 'Bodies...The Exhibition'", 14 Sept 2007; New York Times, August 8, 2006; Pittsburg Post Gazette, February 17, 2008; Report Into Allegations of Organ Harvesting of Falun Gong Practitioners in China, D. Matas and D. Kilgour, July 6, 2006; The Enquirer, Cincinnati, January 28, 2008