-
1 of 10
-
2 of 10
-
3 of 10
-
4 of 10
-
5 of 10
-
6 of 10
-
7 of 10
-
8 of 10
-
9 of 10
-
10 of 10
Uncovering ‘The Body Paradox’
Archive
Comments
Story
What’s inside your stomach? The remnants of lunch? Butterflies? Art? Recent Master of Fine Arts graduate Angela Katona-Batchelor opens up hearts, lungs, colons, kidneys, brains and stomachs in the pursuit of finding meaning in the human anatomy in her solo exhibition, “The Body Paradox.”
Before anyone freaks, no, the organs featured in the exhibit are not real. Katona-Batchelor constructed organs by hand-colored etching, and they open up like the flaps of tissue that a surgeon might cut when performing surgery, or like the layers of a cadaver that a student might explore in his anatomy and physiology class.
However, what lies underneath might not be the expected. The pop-up flaps reveal scientific notations, portraits, an abundance of insects, what appeared to be human hair, navigational symbols and so on. These seemingly random images inside the organs start to make sense when considering the symbolic associations made with certain organs. Inside one of the brains are the famous ink blot tests used by psychologists to examine the personality characteristics and emotional functioning of patients.
In a statement about her work, Katona-Batchelor said, “My most current series of work ‘The Body Paradox’ is the direct result of my inquiry and exploration into the individual organs. Imagery of the anatomized body often becomes a catalyst through which to explore the most deeply meaningful aspects of our being.”
The organs are set in Petri dishes with colorful agar patterns that give it a playful yet realistic feel. The organs either fold open, similarly to pop-up books, or slide open to reveal the contents underneath. The detail is incredible and the imagery can be amusing, logical or perplexing. The heart appears frequently, and many of the inner images are sentimental in nature.
“I found that almost every culture or group of people throughout history has had some affinity with the symbolic heart,” Katona-
Batchelor wrote.
The artist makes the connection between the contradictory distance that humans generally have with the inside of their bodies. The organs that keep us alive and kicking are often never seen, and if they aren’t bothering us, we can forget they are there. But cultural references to our bodies often demonstrate the abstract meaning that we attach to our unseen guts.
“It is not difficult to conceive of our emotions, feelings and spiritual well-being connected to some specific part of our bodies,” she said. “When we carry emotional burdens we talk of having heavy hearts. When we contemplate the memory of a loved one, we sigh deeply in our lungs. The viscera become symbols to express our complexity as human beings and as human persons.”
“The Body Paradox” exhibition will be displayed in the Student Union Building gallery on the second floor until April 26. A reception will be held Friday, April 24 from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. Free parking will be available in the Liberal Arts parking lot, and admission to the gallery is, as always, free for the public.
Katona-Batchelor received her Associate of Art from the College of Southern Idaho, her bachelor’s in drawing and painting from Boise State and her master’s in painting also from Boise State University.
TERESA ARENZ
Lead Arbiter Journalist
