meat carcasses recreated in fabric by tamara kostianovsky

meat carcasses recreated in fabric by tamara kostianovsky‘bound’2007curtains and articles of clothing belonging to the artist, steel, meat hooks, chains61 x 39 x 15 in.all photos by sol aramendi

the image of slaughtered livestock – the vulgarity of fleshy carcasses – is softened into plush cuts of meat by tamara kostianovsky. in her body of work ‘actus reus’, the new york-based artist has cannibalized her own clothing in order to recreate the butchered parts, rendering them more visually digestible.

she explains: ‘I used the various fabrics and textures to conjure flesh, bone gristle and slabs of fat in live-size sculptures of livestock carcasses. the material connects our bodies with the ones in the work, bringing violent acts into a familiar realm. my intention is to confront the viewers with the real and grotesque nature of violence, offering a context for reflecting about the vulnerability of our physical existences, brutality, poverty, consumption, and the voracious needs of the body.’

presented as part of the exhibition nourritures premiers during maison et objet 2013, kostianovksy’s large-scale sculptural pieces will be on display in a solo show entitled ‘hecatombe’ at the fondo nacional de las artes, buenos aires, argentina in may 2013.

‘abnegation’2007articles of clothing belonging to the artist, embroidery floss, batting, armature wire, meat hook53 1/2 x 49 x 27 in.

‘venus’2010clothing belonging to the artist, meat hooks76 x 40 x 24 in.

‘abacus’2008clothing belonging to the artist, meat hooks, chainseach piece 96 x 36 x 45 in.

left:‘what it once was’2010clothing belonging to the artist, meat hooks, chains61.5 x 23 x 20.5 in.

right:‘intertwined’2010articles of clothing belonging to the artist and meat hooks47 x 19 x 13 in.

‘one and a half’2008clothing belonging to the artist, meat hooks, plastic bags122 x 36 x 22 in.