Continuing
to Act, from the series Perfect Specimens, 2003,
edition #s1/10, pigment prints on Hahnemuhle Photo Rag, 40x30”,
Courtesy Ricco/Maresca Gallery, NYC
Much of my art investigates the fragmentary and elusive nature of individual identity. The Perfect Specimens series, from which the images in this exhibition are selected, considers a far more fundamental identity - the source from which every individual develops - the identity of our species. As we make the universal journey from embryo to cadaver, each of us contributes to the incredible diversity and complexity of humanity. The project intends to stimulate dialogue about every aspect of this odyssey.
Perfect
Specimens
examines what we share with, and how we differ from, other species. It is a
“species portrait” exploring the identity of Homo Sapiens and what it means
to be human. The series includes images of: fetal specimens, which highlight the
process of “becoming human”; healthy newborn infants who have just arrived
at this state; people approaching death which highlight the process of
“unbecoming human”; and post-mortem specimens considering the anatomical
structures that make us unique.
But
the physical hallmarks of our species are not all that make us human. The ways
we develop an individual identity and form relationships – the interval
between healthy newborns and people approaching death - are also unique. The Perfect
Specimens series is a (necessarily selective) visual representation of the
whimsical, inescapable algebra that makes us human. Like our species, it
continues to evolve. - MK
MARK
KESSEL received his MD from the University
of