Cancer.

[London], 2011.

1 vase : slip-cast earthenware ; 11 x 18 x 12 cm

Cast from four individual plaster moulds, the jars are cut and joined before being bisque fired to around 1,140°C, then coated in coloured slip from a mixture of industrial ceramic stains and re-fired.

"The surfaces and shapes of these vases each suggest a different health condition that can be inherited: the spots of acne, the brittle bones of osteoporosis, the rapid cell division of cancer or the flaky skin of psoriasis or ichthyosis. Just as we might inherit a family vase, so too might we inherit these 'medical heirlooms'."--From Being Human exhibition caption.

Title provided by the artist.

Wellcome Collection 3168164i

Exhibited in 'Being Human' at Wellcome Collection, London from 5th September 2019.

Tamsin van Essen. All rights reserved.