Body of Work | Itamar Gilboa

April 28th - June 10th, 2022

'Body of Work', is a conceptual series of self-portraits that explores the relationship between identity and the body. The starting point of this project is the data Gilboa collected about his physical body using the most advanced medical imaging technologies – FMRI, MRI, and CT scans.

With this medical data, he created an installation of sculptural representations of his own body: a body of flesh and blood, an interplay of organs, bones, and, more abstractly, his mind. It’s a kind of ultimate selfie, exploring inner and outer layers of the self, while also referencing modern medicine and mortality. 

'Body of Work', consists of two parts. The first is a series of body parts, exact copies of his own organs, made of mirroring materials that produce endless reflections of the spectator and the presented objects. It plays with the concepts of inside and outside, of the inner and outer, of self and other. The reflections of the viewer in the mirrored installation and the abstracted body parts contribute to the feeling of being both spectator and object: It becomes difficult to distinguish who is actually being portrayed in the mirrored box. The second part of the project is a highly innovative series of objects portraying the artist’s “creative thoughts”. In a series of fMRI scans, made in collaboration with several brain scientists, Gilboa’s brain activity was mapped while stimulated to think about this project and while creating art. This activity is translated into printable files that highlight the active part of the brain. The files will be 3D printed in order to create a series of conceptual sculptures that try to decipher the artist’s mind. 

The project is supported generously by Siemens Medical Technology, Stratasys, Anatomage, Scannexus, Rivas Hospitals, Tel Aviv University, Radboud UMC, Outset NL, and, Mondriaan Fund.

© Itamar Gilboa. Photography: Elad Sarig