The desire to extend the human body is amply evident in film, fashion and art. In numerous examples from these disciplines, the body is seen as an armature, a form to be extended, enlarged and «improved». The exhibition shows a wide sampling of bodily extensions, from the real to the fantastic, symbolic to the silly, and examines the reasons for this apparently universal human desire. Body extensions come in all imaginable (and some not-so-imaginable) forms. Sometimes the entire body is enlarged; sometimes just a single element, whether in performances like those of Rebecca Horn, where the head and hands are drastically elongated, or the robotic third arm of Australian performance artist Stelarc. The extended form created by a Vivienne Westwood haute couture creation is but another take on the same issue, as are selected works from other fashion designers in the exhibition. Body Extensions shows how the body is re formed, expanded and enlarged to take on new symbolic meaning, either symbolically or to increase physical attraction.

Publication: «Body Extensions», Arnoldsche Art Publishers, Stuttgart

Curator: Peter Stohler
Ko-Curator: Claudia Pantellini
Curator: Fashion and Jewellery: Jacqueline Greenspan