Andrew Krasnow's Hollow Muscle, a heart made from human skin, is part of Trauma, a science-influenced art exhibit.
Photo: Andrew Krasnow

The neurodegeneration of Alzheimer’s patients, the HIV virus and Chernobyl’s botanical mutations are just some of the topics explored in GV Art’s latest exhibition, entitled Trauma.

The exhibition — curated by Dr. Jonathan Hutt and Bojana Popovic — attempts to understand the various manifestations of trauma, both natural and man-made. It aims to reveal the intimate experience of those who live with the trauma while also investigating perceptions of sometimes-concealed mental distress.

Andrew Krasnow’s Hollow Muscle is a sculpture of a heart made out of human skin. He was inspired by the fact that his father suffered three major heart attacks. As a child in the 1960s, the artist would place his head on his father’s chest that was criss-crossed with scars. There are also lithograph prints of the piece on show.

Meanwhile, Luke Jerram is exhibiting a range of delicate glass sculptures of viruses that infect the human body; the pieces question the role of viruses in mankind’s continued existence. He says of the Glass Microbiology series: “Without viruses, the genetic revolution we are now experiencing would be impossible. They serve numerous beneficial functions that we are just beginning to research and understand.”

A series of self-portraits by William Utermohlen chart the degeneration of his mind through Alzheimer’s disease from when he was diagnosed in 1995 through 2000. He died in 2003.

Katharine Dowson has a haunting glass bust of a cancer patient that was cast during their treatment, entitled Radiotherapy Patient 10.

Anais Tondeur’s work focuses on the 18-mile exclusion zone around the Chernobyl nuclear plant. She explores the botanical mutations as a microcosm for the wider implications of the man-made disaster.

The exhibition is part of GV Art’s Art & Science series. Prior exhibitions include Taste and Merging Art & Science. The exhibition runs until Feb. 18, 2012.

For more images from Trauma, see Wired UK’s gallery.

Untitled Future Mutation, one of Luke Jerram's delicate glass sculptures of viruses that infect the human body.
Photo: Luke Jeram