Jenna Sutela
Gut Flora (Lactogalaxius), 2022
Fecal clay glazed in breast milk and corten steel frame
90 x 60 x 10 cm
35 3/8 x 23 5/8 x 4 inches
35 3/8 x 23 5/8 x 4 inches
Ed. 2/2
Copyright The Artist
Photo: Studio Jenna Sutela
Gut Flora (Lactogalaxius) and Gut Flora (Glossococcus) are part of a series of floral reliefs from corporeal food and waste. Inspired by early building and ceramic practices, the works celebrate...
Gut Flora (Lactogalaxius) and Gut Flora (Glossococcus) are part of a series of floral reliefs from corporeal food and waste. Inspired by early building and ceramic practices, the works celebrate the microbiome and the gut-brain connection. They include different psychedelic flower motifs such as a face (Glossococcus), a brain (Cerebrobacillus) and a galaxy (Lactogalaxius) seemingly emerging from them. Gut Flora were created in the context of a residency at MIT where I followed research on bacterial therapies and psychobiotics based on fecal transplants and sugars in both organic and synthetic human milk. They are part of my long term exploration into symbiontics, or our intrinsic connections with the environment and each other.
These works premiered as part of Symbionts: Contemporary Artists and the Biosphere at MIT List Visual Arts Center in 2022 and were shown at Société gallery, Berlin later that year.
These works premiered as part of Symbionts: Contemporary Artists and the Biosphere at MIT List Visual Arts Center in 2022 and were shown at Société gallery, Berlin later that year.