‘skin’ the wellcome collection, london june 10th – september 26th, 2010

‘superficial blood vessels of the head and neck’ by wellcome library / wellcome images

through shivers, sweats, blushes, wrinkles and scars, skin provides extraordinary, visible documentation of one’s life. the ‘skin’ exhibition invites audiences to re-evaluate the largest and arguably the most overlooked human organ. here the show will consider the changing importance of skin, from anatomical thought in the 16th century through to contemporary artistic exploration. covering four themes (objects, marks, impressions and afterlives), ‘skin’ takes a philosophical approach. it begins by looking at this organ as a frontier between the inside and the outside of the body. early anatomists saw it as having little value and sought to flay it to reveal the workings of the body beneath. the exhibition then moves to look at skin as a living document: with tattoos, scars, wrinkles or various pathologies. finally, it is also considered as a sensory organ of touch and as a delicate threshold between life and death.

skin lab, which features artistic responses to research and technological developments in skin science from the mid-20th century onwards, will complement the exhibition. additionally, a tattoo design competition will coincide with the show, more on it can be seen here.

skin exhibition ‘domestic slough’ by oliver goulet from skinbag

french designer oliver goulet‘s ‘domestic slough’ is a skinbag suit which he defines as an ‘autonomous seamless organism in synthetic skin recognizable by its wrinkled texture and organic appearance’.

skin exhibition Creative Commons Licenseadvert for wigglesworth ‘golden tan’ sunscreen cream by wellcome library / wellcome

skin exhibition ‘portrait of a maori man with facial tattoos, c. 1896.’ by trustees of the british museum

skin exhibition standing male écorché, showing musculature. juan valverde de amusco, 1556. by wellcome library / wellcome images

skin exhibition ‘psoriasis 1’, ceramic apothecary jar by tamsin van essen, 2009.

currently based in prague, british designer tamsin van essen will be showcasing ‘psoriasis 1’, which investigates themes of deseases and medical conditions through ceramic objects. she was also a part of designboom’s ‘handled with care‘ exhibition in 2007.

skin exhibition pam&kim, 1995. by aziz cucher