Installation view ©P21

Their internal anatomy externalised, exoskeletons are both haven and spectacle, offering shelter and concealment for the animals they encase. Our perceptions, often focused on our external existence, obscure our enigmatic interior.《Exoskeleton》is a group exhibition that confronts the discord between our outward perceptions and the complexities of our internal anatomies.

In the process of externalising and reimagining human organs and bones, the works in this exhibition explore the enduring cognitive dissonance between our external facade and our intricate internal reality; a discord that has echoed throughout history and was especially felt, amidst the recent turbulence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Historically our disconnect with our anatomies has persisted, manifesting enigmatic ailments and sought remedies rooted in superstition, folklore, and pseudoscience.

Today, this disconnect is evident in the proliferation of conspiracy theories, where individuals turn to purported panaceas for ailments ranging from the common cold to chronic illness. Similarly, diets and fitness regimens marketed as quick fixes exploit our insecurities and anxieties, capitalizing on our fragmented understanding of our internal anatomies and the persistent desire for control over our bodies, underscoring the enduring quest for empowerment in the face of medical ambiguity, perpetuating a cycle of mistrust and vulnerability.


Installation view ©P21

The artists interpret and reinterpret our internal anatomy; bodies are laid bare, brains, livers, muscles, tissues, and bones, prompting contemplation on the intricate nature of our physical selves. In meticulous detail the human form becomes a canvas for introspection, revealing every external influences that leave their mark on our bodies and psyches reminiscent of scientific illustrations. Antique scissors feature both as a motif and a tool for surgical exploration, a pragmatic symbol to understanding our interior forms.

Sculptures blur the boundaries between the tangible and the abstract, displaying organs and body parts reinterpreted and rearranged; a leg surgically cut into sections, a perfect circle made from an intestine. Puzzle like canvas pieces fit alongside one another, their surface undulating and writhing with the movement of internal bloody landscapes. A bloody skin formed on their surface. Organs stripped of their external flesh express elements of cartoonish individuality, while subversively revealing the universal experience of the human body.

A surreal parallel to the human skeleton is drawn with a bright orange shower, revealing the permeable boundaries between the self and the environment. In tune with the shower an animation tells a story featuring a character nonchalantly pulling eyeballs, his own body exposing his bony ribcage. Without our outer shells are we more human or less, are the neuroses spurred from our misunderstanding of our own bodies what define the embodied experience?

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