Pretty Creepy

Gunther Von Hagens, Andrew Krasnow, Francois Robert, Antony Noel Kelly and Wieki Somers. What do all these names have in common?

They're all artists of a sort, but that's not their only commonality. They also specialise in the human form and have done some strange, and sometimes down right creepy pieces. From flesh to bones, these folks have done it. Some only use the camera to capture mankind's most intricate intimacies, while other use actual body parts to show things you'd normally not see.

Andrew Krasnow

Andrew Krasnow,  did a series which depicted the American history. The works were all done in skin, yes human skin. And Krasnow explains what the works represent for him, "The work presents skin history, or, to be more precise, histories in skin. In part it examines American exceptionalism and its religious origins, in part it is a critique of hate; its tribal, racial, and ethnic antecedents, and more broadly it delves into unfamiliar areas, areas where each individual viewer is left to assess the human condition, its priorities, and its collective psyche."

Francois Robert

Francois Robert is a rather renowned photographer who has taken many a great photo, in his distinguished career. But the one series that gets him onto the creepy list, is his "Stop the Violence" gallery. A series of approximately 20, fine art pieces. Each picture meticulously arranged bones in various silhouettes. Very well done and definitely thought provoking.




Anthony Noel Kelly is by far the most notorious of the artists. He was found guilty of body theft in the late 90s. He had convinced a lab technician to supply him with his materials. He used the "stolen" bodies to make moulds and these would be painted and hung up, display as anatomical specimens. However the courts didn't really see his point of view and he was then sentenced to prison time.

Wieki Somers

Wieki Somers was far more subtle about the creepy. This Dutch designer did a series of "sculptures' made entirely of human ashes. The ashes are all donated, she then uses an industrial 3D printer to make the old ashes come to life. So to speak.



My personal favourite however, and possibly the creepiest is Gunther Von Hagens. This controversial Polish-born anatomist created a truly unique way of preserving parts of dead people. The method, called plastination, is a process by which certain plastics (such as silicone, epoxy or polyester ) are integrated into the body to replace all the water and fat. Thus you get specimens that are odourless, don't decay and sometimes, even the properties of the original sample are preserved.

Gunther von Hagens

Gunther von Hagens

His plastination works are fascinating, no matter who you are. You may be extremely repulsed to begin with, but you can't help put stare in wonder as the mystery that is human insides are displayed to sate our curiosity as to what we really look like on the inside.

Gunther von Hagens

Check out another bloggers view on these creepy artists and more

http://weburbanist.com/2010/08/23/body-art-creations-made-of-human-flesh-blood-bones/

 Also check out more of Gunther von Hagens' work

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1377367/Body-Worlds-Animals-anatomical-safari-says-Gunter-von-Hagens.html