Paradoxes of Paradise is an exhibition curated and created by Creative Hybrids Lab (CHL), an international collective of artists who are also organ transplant recipients.
Paradoxes of Paradise Exhibition Launch
We invite you to join us for the launch of the exhibition at 2pm on 1 July 2023, at Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre.
The exhibition will be officially launched by Mayor of Liverpool Ned Mannoun and will be followed by a panel discussion with a selection of the exhibiting artists with MC Dr Debra Keenahan.
Both the exhibition and panel discussion will explore the various paradoxes of the paradise that is transplantation, facets of medical trauma and spiritual influences.
Also on the launch day, artist Dominic Quagliozzi will facilitate a drawing and collage workshop: MIXED MEDIA MEDIC, where participants will create drawings and mixed media artwork with both art-making tools and a selection of surplus medical supplies from Liverpool Hospital.
The workshop will create a welcoming conversational space where the artists will provide valuable insights into their own artistic practices and how their work echoes the patient experiences.
About Paradoxes of Paradise
Organ Transplantation, also known as the Gift of Life and a Second Chance of Life, frequently has an aura of paradisaical mystique surrounding it. With good reason: transplantation is truly transformational. Yet there is much more to transplantation than what is conveyed by mass media and medical professionals.
CHL seeks through a variety of mediums to hold space for and elevate the voices of the vulnerable. Sometimes a transformation can be so overpowering that one can never ‘return to normal.’
We live within the context of a culture which perpetuates gaps between stories told about illness and disability, and actual lived experience. Our culture wants us to say that our transplants have returned us to normal life, but the reality is different. Transplant recipients depend on toxic medication to stay alive, and exist permanently immunosuppressed, which inevitably takes a physical and mental health toll.
Paradoxes of Paradise features works exploring the various paradoxes of the paradise that is transplantation, created and curated by CHL members: Andrea Barrett (UK), Bianca Willoughby (AUS), Dominic Quagliozzi (USA), Dylan Mortimer (USA) and Tereza Crvenkovic (AUS). Touching on environmental sustainability, facets of medical trauma, spiritual influences, and more, it is a show not to be missed for those with an open mind, and the curiosity to step into the mindscape of organ recipients.
More Information
Launch: https://tickets.casulapowerhouse.com/Events/EXHIBITION-LAUNCH-Paradoxes-of-Paradise
Workshop: https://tickets.casulapowerhouse.com/Events/MIXED-MEDIA-MEDIC-a-Drawing-and-Collage-Workshop
Exhibition: https://www.casulapowerhouse.com/whats-on/events2/2023/paradoxes-of-paradise-by-creative-hybrids-lab
