Patricia Piccinini Australian, b. 1965
Egg/Head, 2016
silicone, human hair
17 3/4 x 11 3/4 x 11 3/4 in
45.1 x 29.8 x 29.8 cm
45.1 x 29.8 x 29.8 cm
Edition 1 of 3; plus 1 AP
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....
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.”