teknikunst 05 is an art festival
looking at the interaction between machines and the body

one of its main exhibitions opened last night
entitled blender

it is basically an industrial sized blender
filled with a muddy liquid
which periodically hisses and bubbles

the key to the work is
that the liquid is human fat
removed from the artists
stelarc and nina sellars
by liposuction

the flier declares:

the project is an inevitable outcome of stelarc and sellars’ long-standing fascination with “alternative corporeal architectures” and bodily interfaces. It also, however, acts as an astute signpost toward some of the more contentious issues surrounding the blending of contemporary technology with corporeality.

it’s reminiscent of marc quinn’s 1991 self
in which the artist cast his own head
from his own frozen and congealed blood

blender is on show at the meat market in north melbourne
until august 18

another interesting project is olivia dowling’s donkey
in which she will have struggling young artists
symbolically reduced to homeless beggars for a number of hours
while dressed as donkeys and bent over uncomfortably
in the conservative linden gallery

that is, the artists are rendered uncomfortable
and vaguely embarrassed
in the hopes of handouts from passersby

really an apt metaphor for young artists in australia today

donkey is at the linden gallery in st kilda next thursday august 11 from 6 to 8pm

.

Related posts:

1. Linden Postcard Show
2. Gallery 124
3. Last night for the Night Market at Queen Vic Market
4. Another Melbourne Forum
5. Get Into Art!