While most mothers of a certain social circle worry about getting their daughters into a good school, hybrid toddlers like this one (part human, part giraffe) are going unnoticed in the classroom every day. (Well, maybe not now, but soon, they will be.) Who are their mothers? Would the local zoo, or genetic laboratory, be able to handle calls from the local PTA when the time for the bake sale rolls around?
As an artist, and, as a human being, I have long been concerned with the issue of genetic engineering – in particular, how its rapid progress has been largely ignored by a public that is unprepared to deal with the inevitable ethical fallout. In the past, I created what I call “chimeric hybrids,” and this young girl is one of my favorites. She not only calls attention to ethical issues of species, but of gender as well. If a half-human baby has less rights than a pure human baby, then how much less well will a female hybrid be treated?
Maybe, if we are willing to imagine the life that a little girl like this would lead, we can more clearly examine, and prepare for, a more equitable future for our own little girls?
Believability is key. So, as if I were shopping for my own child, I sourced the clothing and sneakers from local stores, and bought the carpet (in a cheery jungle motif) Online. The toddler’s head is cast silicon.
This nice 3 year-old gazes down as if she’s shy, and who wouldn’t be? One day, her horns and her neck will grow. Will the social jungle be ready for her?
- Collections: Sculpture