Sculptures made of nail clippings, human hair on display

Nail clippings, human hair and a model of a testicle feature in a sculpture exhibition currently running in a Dublin city gallery.

Siobhán McGibbon’s ‘Existing on the edge of anatomy’ at Dublin’s Talbot Gallery reflects her interest in extraordinary medical conditions.

“Her work explores her fascination with medical conditions and physical oddities”, said Elaine Grainger of the gallery.

A sculpture of conjoined twins made from toenail clippings is among the works on display. “You are drawn into the beauty of how she creates her work and then repulsed by the medium,” Ms Grainger said.

Some of the sculptures use human hair and wax. McGibbon has a fascination with “excessive hair” on the body and there is “humour” and “oddness” in the work, Ms Grainger said.

The exhibition also features sculptures on raised birthmarks, showing them taking over the body. “You are repulsed and attracted at the same time,” Ms Grainger said.

McGibbon graduated from GMIT in 2009 and most recently her work has been exhibited in “death drive” in the Galway Arts Centre and in the 2013 RHA annual, for which she received the RHA Conor Falon Sculpture award.

She is a “young artists with a really bright future” , Ms Grainger said.

Existing on the edge of anatomy runs at The Talbot Gallery on Talbot Street near Connolly Station until March 29th. talbotgallery.com