Silvia Petretti – Sustiva Tenofivir, 3TC (HIV)

: Marc Quinn, 2005

: ; H 443 mm x W 1718 mm x D 580 mm

wax resin; ground drugs

As one of a series of sculptures from the series ‘Chemical Life Support’, the figure of Silvia Petretti has been cast from wax mixed with the very substances on which the subject depends to sustain life. With this series Quinn is exploring the notion of technology’s attempt to keep change induced by illness at bay. Silvia Petretti is HIV positive. The drugs she takes - Sustava Tenofivir, 3TC - offer resistance to her body’s failure to defend itself. This perfect sculpted form reminiscent of Renaissance visions of marble perfection, creates a powerful balance between the relative fragility of the body, its perpetual impending morality, and a physical presence that cannot easily be ignored.

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Wellcome Collection