Alexey Kashpersky
The uncanny body

October 21 2015

For a long time I wanted to make a post about medical illustrations of the human body. I was searching for old depictions like “The Anatomy of the Gravid Uterus” by Jan van Riemsdyk. But now I found hyper-realistic 3D renderings of a human cadaver that are suited perfectly to make my point.

Why is it that looking at an open body causes such revulsion? Despite the obvious evolutionary psychological explanation I would argue that it’s time to overcome this programme and find peace with every aspect of our being. Let’s not just imagine our body as energy and light, first let’s see it as what it most evidently is — this fleshy, mushy conglomeration of mostly wet parts. And by fully incorporating this into our self-perception, awareness is replacing fear and we’re able to make friends with our most important ally.

Alexey Kashpersky is a 3D artist in the field of medicine and microbiology. View more of his body of work on his personal website and on Behance.

It makes a wonderful difference if you find in the body an ally or an adversary.
Goethe

Human Cadaver, 2013

Various other works by Alexey Kashpersky