Into One-another

Book excerpt: A phenomenon in contemporary art, Flemish artist Berlinde De Bruyckere creates dynamic, often unsettling works that straddle the line between real and metaphorical bodies. In dialogue here with earlier works by Cranach the Elder and controversial poet and filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini, De Bruyckere's sculptures in wool, wood, wax, and hair reveal a sense of loneliness and physical vulnerability and explore issues surrounding the corporeality of man--issues more relevant than ever in an age when science is increasingly capable of mimicking nature. Created in partnership with the Stiftung Moritzburg in Halle--and accompanying exhibitions at the Bern Kunstmuseum and Vienna Kunsthalle--this catalogue includes illustrations of artworks by De Bruyckere, Cranach and Pasolini, as well as an essay by the philosopher Gernot Böhme setting the works of art in the context of German philosophy and current ethical issues.