New Angels for Walter Benjamin
Necklace by Katja Toporski
Year:
2015
Materials:
Silver, porcelain, acrylic, polyurethane
Dimensions:
4 x 3.5 x 1in
Notable Techniques:
Fabrication, alternative materials
Featured In:
In the Making: A Community Archive Project
Photograph: Daniela Rodriguez
I spent ten years working as an anesthesiologist in my previous career. Many people have asked me what persuaded me to switch from being a doctor to becoming an artist wondering as to the correlation between the two. While perhaps not immediately obvious, to my mind there are certain questions at the core of the human condition that both art and medicine have to confront. I have witnessed many people come into and leave this world during my time working in various obstetric wards and intensive care units. Modern medicine tends to focus on scientific discoveries to explain the processes at the beginning and the end of life. While this has certainly led to great improvements in our lives, it overlooks the mystery posed by birth and by death. It is this mystery that has been addressed through time by religion and art alike, and it is this that informs my own artistic thinking.
Learn more about Katja Toporski here.
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