Patricia Piccinini, Egg/Head, 2016

2016

Medium

silicone, human hair

Dimensions

4 × 11 cm

Edition

1 of 3; plus 1 AP

Status

In Gallery Collection

Collect24 Art ID

C24-1164422

Part sea creature, part bicycle helmet, part human, 'Egg/Head' is simultaneously inanimate and completely fleshy. The inspiration for this piece comes from tube-like marine invertebrates commonly known as sea squirts. When sufficiently developed, the larva finds a suitable rock and cements itself in place, at which point it goes through a metamorphosis whereby it “eats its own brain,” only requiring for the rest of its life cycle a digestive and reproductive system. As Piccinini says, “Sometimes nature creates living things far more bizarre than anything I can envision.”