Opening at ArtScience Museum on 21 March, Flesh and Bones: The Art of Anatomy explores the human body through art, science and cultural history.
Singapore is never short of headline-making exhibitions, but few promise to be as thought-provoking as Flesh and Bones: The Art of Anatomy. Opening at ArtScience Museum on 21 March and running until 16 August, the showcase invites visitors to look at the human body through a very different lens, one that blends science, culture and artistic expression.
Rather than approaching anatomy as something purely clinical, Flesh and Bones examines it as a subject that has fascinated artists, physicians, philosophers and healers for centuries. The exhibition explores how the body has been studied, represented and understood across different eras and traditions, revealing anatomy as a meeting point between observation, imagination and belief.
Bringing together more than 160 works, the Flesh and Bones exhibition in SIngapore spans a wide range of mediums and perspectives. Expect life-sized illustrations, rare books, sculptural models, anatomical atlases and contemporary installations, all of which trace the ways in which the body has been documented and interpreted over time. The result is an exhibition that feels both scholarly and immersive, offering something for visitors interested in medicine, visual culture or the history of ideas.
The programme begins with Expanded Anatomies, a symposium designed to add further depth to the exhibition. Through talks, discussions and presentations, experts, artists and researchers will explore the relationship between art, science and culture, helping to frame the exhibition within a wider intellectual and social context.
One of the most compelling aspects of Flesh and Bones is its broader view of what anatomy can mean. Alongside conventional medical perspectives, the exhibition also considers holistic healing, ritual practices and longstanding medical traditions such as Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda. This layered approach gives the exhibition a richer perspective, moving beyond textbook anatomy to consider how different societies have made sense of the body and its inner workings.
Visitors can also expect major contemporary artworks woven into the experience. Highlights include immersive thread-based installations by Chiharu Shiota, video works by Bill Viola, experimental films by Barbara Hammer, and contributions from regional artists such as Pinaree Sanpitak, Amanda Heng and Wendi Yan. Scientific specimens from the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine at Nanyang Technological University will be shown alongside plastinated human anatomy from the von Hagens Plastination Institute, adding a striking scientific dimension to the exhibition.
Tickets for the new Flesh and Bones exhibition in Singapore range from S$19.50 to S$22 for adults. Whether you are drawn by art, anatomy or the chance to see an exhibition that crosses disciplines with confidence, Flesh and Bones: The Art of Anatomy looks set to be one of Singapore’s standout cultural experiences this season.
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