Friday, May. 27, 2016 – Saturday, Sep. 3, 2016

Paula Chung, “Inner Ear I,” 2015. Silk, cotton, poly batting, thread. Photo by Paula Chung. 

The advent of sonograms, MRIs, and other advanced forms of body imaging have transformed modern medicine and the way in which people view their bodies. These non-invasive renderings provide doctors with critical information about personal health, and, yet, when faced with uncertainty about a diagnosis, these medical images can provoke fear and confusion. They give a powerful glimpse into the complex systems of the bodily existence, marking growth and deterioration.

This summer, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (HCCC) presents A View Within, an exhibition of textiles by Karen Rips and Paula Chung inspired by body imaging from the artists’ friends, family members, and strangers. As a collaboration that began in 2009, Rips’ and Chung’s textiles illuminate the beauty, strength, and vulnerability of the human body, introducing emotion to these otherwise static images. Rips and Chung write in their artist statement, “As artists, we find these images compelling, since they can be seen simply as shapes and lines, dark and light spaces.” Read more.