SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY.- The artistic transformation of the body into something unrecognizable, disturbing, or abject probes human anxieties about bodily behaviors and desires. Our mind races and our skin crawls as we contemplate the possibility of a grotesque and fantastical metamorphosis of our own. Is this what happens in the absence of control?

While exploring Abject Anatomy you will come across a fleshy mass of unidentifiable limbs, a man using his penis as a paintbrush, and other images that make you hyperaware of the way your skin stretches over your bones. Despite their physical impossibilities, these manipulations of the body represent artists’ desire to visually explore our deeper psychological desires and compulsions.

Abject Anatomy features a selection of photographs, prints, drawings, and paintings from the Tang collection that ask us to reflect on deep-seated fears about our own bodily nonconformance and that of those around us.

This exhibition is organized by Helen Branch ’24, the 2022–2023 Carole Marchand Endowed Intern, and is supported by the Friends of the Tang.

What is Abject Art?

Abject art explores themes that challenge and disrupt our notions of cleanliness and propriety, often involving the body and bodily functions.

The purpose of the Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery is to awaken the community to the richness and diversity of the human experience through the medium of art. The Tang invites curiosity and collaborative learning through active engagement with ideas, artworks, and exhibitions. Programming tailored to foster formative connections between contemporary art and students of all ages is central. Critical to this end are direct experiential opportunities for Skidmore students to participate in integral aspects of museum practice. The Tang Museum collects works of art, which by their preservation and display, provide opportunity for further study. A vigorous publication program serves as a learning tool and will join regular traveling exhibitions as important means of outreach.

Tang Teaching Museum
Abject Anatomy
February 9–April 21, 2024
Winter Gallery