Patricia Piccinini - Hello PossumPatricia Piccinini is an Australian based artist, with a degree in Fine Arts, who works with a diverse range of media such as drawing, digital print, video and instillations. She also works well a lot of sculpture, which we can see in “Hello Possum”. Patricia has an interest in biotechnologies and as it is seen in this work. Her aesthetic work portrays her ideas and beliefs surrounding ethical issues.
When I first glanced at this work I thought to myself what kind of person would even think of creating something so disturbing to look at. However after spending some time looking into Patricia Piccinini and her work I realised that there is an element of beauty to the work. After I understood the ideas behind Piccinini’s work I started to appreciate these mutated latex possums. Yes of course they were still disturbing to look at with there big beading eyes, long rabbit like teeth and there hairless little bodies, as I believe a majority of people would.
I think that Piccinini was speaking to those who are looking into genetic engineering and science based technology when she created this work. Its almost as she has created a new “Dolly the Sheep” but in the form of a disturbing looking possum. In the end I think the idea is that Piccinini is trying to say when enough will be enough…or will it ever. Will we always want more than we already have… is that what society will come to. Will there ever be a right time for genetic engineering? That’s not for me to decide for you, however my view is that there is a time and a place and that time and place is not ready for society in this present time.
The enlightenment period was when science was removed from religious based views. Were people took a careful look at previously accepted doctrines and traditions. With these points in mind we can link some of Patricia Piccinini’s ideas with those from the enlightenment. Were people thought they would be able to create a utopian world. I think that Piccinini is trying to show that if we keep trying to change this there will always be something else that needs to be fixed or problems will arise so it is impossible to have this so called “utopian world”.
http://www.patriciapiccinini.net/
my reaction was definitley the same as yours along with everyone else i think, which is the whole point, she is drawing you in with her bizzare models. I also agree with you when you talk about genetic engineering and how there is a time and place,but on the other hand i disagree with you, in that i feel alot this "genetic modification" has already started and we are already seeing the begining of the "hello possum" race of human beings.
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