Taking Your Skin Off

As I’ve said in my previous posts, I’m drawn to the grotesque and lives imperfections. Scars are like constant reminders of our past- like wearing our lives and memories on our skin. Creating a map of the places we have been and our life experiences. It is amazing the differences in everybody’s skin and the different imperfections which give each body a different identity and personality.

Megan Mitchell

Megan Mitchell is an artist who turns the usually grotesque into something beautiful. She takes human imperfections such as rashes, cuts, wounds and scars amongst other bodily ‘abnormality’ and turns them into beautiful pieces of body art. Mitchell turns what are usually unwanted ‘wearables’ (something usually very unfashionable) into beaded, glamorous pieces of wearable fashion. Her pieces are worn directly onto the skin creating a different way of wearing body adornments. Her work, to me, plays with the idea of beauty and what society views as beautiful. It forms an identity of the media and its perception of what beauty should look like. It makes us think about our own ideas of what beauty is and how it forms a person’s identity of themselves and those around them. Personally, I think that the pieces really show the beauty n something which we really shouldn’t find beautiful (which makes it even more beautiful and special).

Scabby (2012)

Gash (2012)

Kali Arulpragasam

Kali Arulpragasam is another artist who looks at bodily imperfections. Arulpragasam’s ‘Murder’ series turns bullet wounds and slashed throats into precious stone encrusted works of art. Once again, something grotesque has been given a valuable, beautiful twist. Her work looks at very sensitive subjects that create conversation between people. She describes her work as ‘ political wearable art pushing design, form and reason’ which I feel depicts her work perfectly. As a design student, it is very empowering to see designers pushing the boundaries of design and creating pieces of artwork which have an impact on the world. Pieces which make people think and make people question the ideologies of the world in which we live in. 

Gunshot Wounds (2011)

‘Slashed Throat’ ‘Murder’ Collection (2011)