Janaina Tschäpe: Blood, Sea

August 27 – October 9, 2004
USFCAM West Gallery

Blood, Sea

The conditions that obtained when life had not yet emerged from the oceans have not subsequently changed a great deal for the cells of the human body, bathed by the primordial wave which continues to flow in the arteries. Our blood in fact has a chemical composition analogous to that of the sea of our origins, from which the first living cells and the first multicellular beings derived the oxygen and the other elements necessary to life. With the evolution of more complex organisms, the problem of maintaining a maximum number of cells in contact with the liquid environment could not be solved simply by the expansion of the exterior surface: those organisms endowed with hollow structures, into which the sea water could flow, found themselves at an advantage. But it was only with the ramification of these cavities into a system of blood circulation that distribution of oxygen was guaranteed to the complex of cells, thus making terrestrial life possible. The sea where living creatures were at one time immersed is now enclosed within their bodies.

- Excerpts From t zero by Italo Calvino

New York and Brazil based artist Janaina Tschäpe works in a variety of media including drawing, photography, film and installation. She employs the female body, transformed by her sculptural costumes and nature, to explore the space between dreams and reality. For CAM, Tschäpe developed a new high definition video installation filmed at Weeki Wachee Springs, Florida. The exhibition, curated by Jade Dellinger, includes related photographs, drawings and a series of new prints published by Graphicstudio.

Janaina Tschäpe has created several works with Graphicstudio. Visit her artist page here.

See Weeki Wachee Springs by visiting their website.

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