Cancer.

[London], 2011.

1 vase : slip-cast earthenware ; 11 x 18 x 12 cm

Tamsin van Essen. All rights reserved.

Cast from four individual plaster moulds, the jars are cut and joined before being bisque fired to around 1,140°C, then coated in coloured slip from a mixture of industrial ceramic stains and re-fired.

"The surfaces and shapes of these vases each suggest a different health condition that can be inherited: the spots of acne, the brittle bones of osteoporosis, the rapid cell division of cancer or the flaky skin of psoriasis or ichthyosis. Just as we might inherit a family vase, so too might we inherit these 'medical heirlooms'."--From Being Human exhibition caption.

Title provided by the artist.

Exhibited in 'Being Human' at Wellcome Collection, London from 5th September 2019.

Wellcome Collection 3168164i