FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Kristi Engle Gallery
5002 York Ave.
Highland Park, CA 90042
323.472.6237
kristi@kristienglegallery.com

Art Exhibition: Cindy Stelmackowich's “Embalmination“
August 23 - September 27, 2008
Reception: Saturday, August 23rd, 7-10pm
Artist Talk: Sunday, August 24th, 2pm Gallery hours: Thursday - Saturday 12 - 6pm & by appointment

Kristi Engle Gallery is pleased to open its 2008-09 season with the work of Canadian artist, Cindy Stelmackowich.

While working towards a PhD in art history, Stelmackowich’s research in Canadian and European medical archives brought her to study various 19th century anatomical atlases. The illustrations within these texts presented Stelmackowich with a body of compelling images which have become the springboard to her current work.

Using a digital camera to record atlas pages, Stelmackowich manipulates medical illustrations through a process of digital collage. She then imposes on these scientific works a series of quite different images - colored glass vessels, illustrations of 19th century disasters and Victorian black lace. In doing so, Stelmackowich examines ambiguities embedded within the genre of scientific illustrations and repositions them within a symbolic order and allegorical setting. Stelmackowich deploys these 19th century texts in a way that conveys the burgeoning fascination with and understanding of medical science that coincided with the development of ethical standards by these early medical scientists and schools. While grave robbing and the use of prisoners’ bodies were prevalent ways of obtaining the cadavers needed, these medical illustrations frequently include the head, hair and face of the cadaver depicted in a sympathetic fashion looking almost as if alive. Running against the modern convention of dehumanizing the medical subject as an object of dissection, these 19th century representations often have ecstatic or angelic expressions.

Stelmackowich augments these humanist illustrations with images of richly colored art glass vessels that evoke the notion of a missing life/soul from the empty human vessel on display. Combining images of bodies with those of destruction, Stelmackowich’s “Disaster Series“ employs illustrations of historic events, connecting the fragility of the human body with the violence of nature (and sometimes “man“) against “man“. Etchings intended as objective journalistic accounts of ships destroyed by storm or building consumed by fire are digitally blended with medical illustrations, connecting the event with the body and through this gesture forcing an internalization of history. The Victorian Era mourning costume, made famous by Queen Victoria herself, included elaborately designed black lace that trimmed hats, hems sleeves & petticoats. In her most recent series, Stelmackowich uses lace to both ironically mourn these bodies for whom many most likely were not “officially“ mourned as well as emphasize the mannered aesthetic features of the work which suggests both the vulnerability of their subjects and an appeal to the emotional empathy within their intended audience.

This exhibition follows Stelmackowich’s continuing interest in the historical connections between fine arts and the medical sciences. Her work brings to light the depth of culture within science, conflating two traditionally distinct worlds while revealing, somehow, the soft core of hard science to chilling effect.

Cindy Stelmackowich’s work has been exhibited throughout Canada and has been collected by the Ottawa Art Gallery, York University and the Canadian Council Art Bank. She's been the recipient of many grants from the Canada Arts Council and others. Stelmackowich teaches at Carleton University in Ottawa and has lectured on the topic of art and science throughout Canada and the United States.

Kristi Engle Gallery devotes itself primarily to solo exhibitions of new works by contemporary artists. It is located in Highland Park, near the corner of Ave. 50 and York Blvd.

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