By Katie Dominy / 24-11-2008
Beauty from the inside out.
Sitting for four months outside Vienna’s contemporary art centre Kunsthalle Wien is a giant white fibreglass skull: the Wellness Skull by Dutch artist Joep van Lieshout.
Inside, the skull is set up as a mini health centre, with a selection of relaxation areas. In the neck of the skull is a small bath and a sauna is contained within the head of the skull. When the sauna is turned on, hot air streams out of the eye sockets. Once a month, on a Saturday afternoon, the public can climb inside the skull to take a tour of the facilities.
The skull refers back to the vanity symbol, a prominent theme in Dutch Old Master paintings, especially in the still life, where symbols of transience reminded the viewers that life was short and in the hands of God.
Wow, this is fantastic and such an unusual idea. I kind of reminds me of the skull that was set up outside Palazzo Grassi in Venice. It was made of stainless steel pots and utensils. http://www.saatchigallery.com/404error.htm