Fairy Tales, Monsters, and the Genetic Imagination is an exhibition of works by contemporary artists who invent humanlike, animal, or hybrid creatures to symbolize life’s mysteries, desires, and fears. Finding inspiration in sources ranging from Aesop’s Fables to the products of genetic experimentation, the artists in the exhibition examine interactions between nature and humanity in the context of oral and written lore, psychology, ethics, and visions of the future in both science and science fiction. The exhibition will include approximately 60 contemporary paintings, photographs, sculptures, and video works.
Please note: Works in this exhibition address mature themes not suitable for all audiences.
This exhibition is organized by the Frist Art Museum and curated by Frist Art Museum Chief Curator Mark Scala.
The exhibition will travel to Winnipeg Art Gallery, Manitoba, Canada: June 15–Sept. 9, 2012, and to the Glenbow Art Museum, Calgary, Alberta, Canada: Sept. 28–Jan. 2, 2013.
The exhibition catalog was published by Vanderbilt University Press.
Exhibition gallery
Patricia Piccinini. The Long Awaited, 2008. Silicone, fiberglass, human hair, leather, plywood, fabric; 59 7/8 x 31 ½ x 36 ¼ in. Collection of Penny Clive. Courtesy of the Artist. Photography by Graham Baring
Meghan Boody. In a Garden So Green, 1998. Cibachrome; 53 x 56 in. Edition of 12. Private Collection, New York. Courtesy Rick Wester Fine Art
NPT Arts Break about the Fairy Tales, Monsters, and the Genetic Imagination exhibition
Mark Hosford. Haunting 3, 2008. Digital video disc. Courtesy of the artist
Trenton Doyle Hancock. Vegans do Their Dirtiest Work, 2002. Acrylic and mixed media on canvas; 16 x 20 in. Private Collection
© Trenton Doyle Hancock, courtesy of James Cohan Gallery
Andre Ethier. Untitled, 2007. Oil on wood, 20 x 16 in. Private Collection, New York. © Andre Ethier, image courtesy of Derek Eller Gallery
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