Are mind and body two completely separate entities, as postulated centuries ago by René Descartes, with the body unable to think while the mind is capable of disembodied thought? Or are the two inextricably intertwined, as modern neuroscience suggests, with “gut feelings” and “heartache” being more than metaphor?
A new exhibition of watercolors, videos and photographs explores these questions.
“Every Body Is All We Have,” with an opening reception at 6 p.m. Friday, presents the work of six diverse women artists, curated by Andrzej Kramarz.
Three are from the United States — dancer and choreographer Sue Schroeder; artist and filmmaker Lynn Hershman Leeson; and dancer and filmmaker Jennifer Scully-Thurston. Katarzyna Kozyra, a sculptor, photographer, videographer and performance artist, is from Poland, as is photographer, designer and curator Maga Cwieluch. Rounding out the group is the Lebanese-born painter Reem Bassous, who now resides in Hawaii.
According to a press release about the exhibit, each artist regards the mind/body question from a different perspective.
About her approach to male bodies, Cwieluch said: “I undress them, discover them, thus violating a certain taboo.”
And Kozyra said: “I (photographed) myself naked … to prove that a sick body has just as much dignity and is just as normal as the healthy one.”
The exhibition will be on view from Saturday until Aug. 25. For more information, visit ehcc.org, call 961-5711, or visit EHCC at 141 Kalakaua St., Hilo.
Gallery and office hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, and the gallery is also open Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.