Dead or Alive showcased the work of over 30 international artists who transformed organic materials and objects that were once produced by or part of living organisms—insects, feathers, bones, silkworm cocoons, plant materials, and hair—to create intricately crafted and designed installations and sculptures.
The exhibitionexplored a territory related to MAD’s Second Lives: Remixing the Ordinary, which featured contemporary works created from multiples of ordinary manufactured items. In Dead or Alive, the materials transformed by the artists are entirely natural. Once-living parts of flora and fauna are recombined and rearranged into works of art that address the transience of life, and all that is elegant and alarming about the natural world.
Dead or Alive featured new site-specific installations and recently made work by contemporary artists from around the world, including Jennifer Angus, Nick Cave, Tessa Farmer, Tim Hawkinson, Jochem Hendricks, Damien Hirst, Alastair Mackie, Kate MccGwire, Susie MacMurray, Shen Shaomin, and Levi van Veluw among others.
