Bodyscan

The academic field dealing with the inner structure of the body is directly at the interface of art and science. The precise documentation of the body for teaching purposes was formerly mostly the result of close collaboration between visual artists and anatomists. While macroscopic anatomy deals with things that are visible to the naked eye, today’s focus is on cell biology and, therefore, on the molecular level.

The BODYSCAN exhibition features more than 50 pieces from a treasure chest of anatomical representations as well as both old and contemporary works of art on the subject. In a showcase display specially designed for the exhibition, exquisite ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’ (curated by Kunstkammer owner Georg Laue) are arranged next to contemporary works of art, anatomical charts, moulages, paper-maché models and pop cultural objects such as morphsuits, magazine covers or science fiction trailers (conceptual consultant: Peter Kogler). Visitors will also have the opportunity to travel through the body with groundbreaking imaging technologies. The exhibition offers a fascinating, interdisciplinary view of the human body.

The Next Humans – the exhibition’s related science lectures and discussions provide participants with insights into current, cutting edge results of molecular genetics and will be presided over by Prof. Dr. Ulrich Blum. The focus will be on research involving pluripotent stem cells and genome editing (CRISPR / Cas9 gene scissors), the biotechnological fusion of man and machine as well as ethical questions arising from genetic engineering possibilities.

Ed Atkins, John Baldessari, Josef Breitenbach, Günter Brus, Allen Ginsberg, Anna Jermolaewa, Josef Knoll, Peter Kogler, Paul McCarthy, Matt Mullican, Eadweard Muybridge, Bruce Nauman, Meret Oppenheim, Seth Price, Robert Rauschenberg, Gerhard Richter, Thomas Struth, Kiki Smith, Jeff Wall, James Sibley Watson

Excerpts from motion pictures such as Fantastic Voyage by Richard Fleischer (1966) or Ghost in the Shell by Rupert Sanders (2017)