You know, every time I see another one of these stories I become more and more convinced that art is the business of selling the emperor new clothes.

.... "represents the fluid essence of humanity and its effort to escape the binding confines of our newly restrictive cultural norms ..."

...."we should embrace the forms, absorb the fluids, and bath in freedom we once knew ..."

You know, as an artist, every time one of these situations comes up I cringe.
And in this case I can honestly say...oh get real. This is not art....this is EMBALMING BADLY DONE.
Sadly, today, most people think that if it's in bad taste or hideous....it MUST BE ART.
Wrong...art takes work, and alot of time and creativity.....and some people will like it, and some will hate it but in either case you have succeeded as an artist...it's only when they are indifferent that you have failed.
But if their skin is crawling....as in this case....it's just creepy.

I recently visited The Universe Within with one of my art classes. My reaction was one of ambiguance, on the one hand I was genuinely creeped out (though not at all disgusted or morally offended). At the same time I noticed that there were a number of people walking through the exhibit in absolute awe. To be honest, I wish I could have been one of them, but I had a hard time getting over the fact that the subjects were real human bodies in action poses, but there was nothing lifelike about them. Yes, I am aware that they are corpses. What I mean is that I have seen paintings and sculptures of people that one would swear looked alive, yet the real thing looked about as life-like as those Disney animatronic characters.

I think it is wrong to write something like this off as in bad taste (though I am not aware of how these subjects were obtained, I am assuming that these people consented to having this done post mortem). I walked away with the impression that, even though this is not my kind of thing, it was educational nontheless. If someone else can look at The Universe Within and be inspired to become an artist, doctor, whatever, then I think the purpose is served.

Let's get real. This is a cheap copy of an extremely well done exhibit by Gunther von Hagen. He developed plastination, an amazing technique which allows now just the preservation of these exhibits, but anatomical exhibits all over. Obviously, if they are leaking, the plastination was not well done. As long as no one (and I mean the individuals who presumably consented (???) to be dissected this way) is getting hurt, what's the harm. We are flesh and blood, so, if it bothers you, well, don't go. Deal with your Rylian ghosts in the privacy of your own thoughts or maybe just read a little Daniel Dennett before you start making judgments.

The above is said with a major caveat, however.

I am a bit confused as to why everyone posting here (and other blog sites) insist on critiquing this exhibit as art? It was not meant as art; it is an educational exhibit. If you are squeamish by nature, don't go. If anatomy class creeped you out, don't go. But if your mind is curious, if your intellect is alive and well, you just might like to see what a wonderful thing is the human body. On the outside, sometimes, a work of art (yes, art), and on the inside? Well it's a wonder to behold and contemplate. So many of us look for entertainment and cheap thrills, and have wholly forgotten the art of contemplation and awe. For everyone else, grow up. Science is fascinating, and even I don't adore potato bugs, but to be disgusted with anything in nature is just, well...small minded.