The interior codex, held in the torso of a printed female anatomical model, unfolds the story of the scientific journey that an actual anatomical model inspired for this work. The scientific panels lyrically, yet authentically explore the body, starting with atoms and cosmology and moving to the biology of cells and genetic structure. The biology is researched & factual yet metaphorically ambiguous, investigating the permeable borderline between material and immaterial.

The outer panels are composed of instruments from 19th and 20th-century scientific catalogs. Grandiloquently labeled and preposterously described, the instruments represent the human endeavor to measure and understand beyond our sensual capabilities, the uncertainties of the world and the human condition.

The book’s inspiration came from the enigma posed by the model’s enviable composure despite her utterly available and exposed viscera.  For years I referred to her as Our Lady of Serene Evisceration and marveled at her inner workings.

Letterpress printed triptych with interior sewn codex & pop-up structures. Written, drawn, printed and handbound by the artist.  Body parts are hand-cut. Materials are Lettra, Folio, Elephant Hide, Faux Leather, ink & pastels.
Dimensions closed9.75x15.25”; dimensions open:  28.50x15.25”
Edition size 57;  Price 1200. Sold out.

Link to Book Review of Body of Inquiry written by Sandra Kroupa for the College Art Association