Liz Larna, an American artist, recalls on a different artistic journey how in 1988 she created a unique work of art by collecting the breath of artists from around the world. This work, titled "Every Artist Gave a Breath," was formed based on respiratory bacteria and underwent astonishing changes over time. In an exhibition held in 2022, some of the bacteria transformed into beautiful dry and colorful shapes, while others turned into a dark black and green state that, according to Larna, was "truly terrifying."
An Experience with Unusual Materials
Larna is well-known for her use of strange and unusual materials in her works. From human hair and false eyelashes to leather and medical gas, she is always in search of creating beauty from within ugliness. In her recent exhibition at the Camden Arts Centre in London titled "A Hard Line to Bend," she turned to single-use plastics and transformed them into works that appear both attractive and threatening. She says, "When China stopped accepting American plastics, I began collecting them in my studio, and the volume became so large that I had to hang them from the ceiling."
Inspired by the Cosmic World
In a time when space technologists dominate society, Larna draws inspiration from images that NASA has taken of asteroids. She seeks ways to connect art to new dimensions of human experience. These days, as we live in a world full of environmental and social challenges, Larna reminds us through her works that even breathing can be a part of art.
