The International Museum of Surgical Science in Chicago

The International Museum of Surgical Science in Chicago is pleased to present "Put This in Your Mouth," an exhibition of drawings by Dominic Paul Moore, and "Hope Chest," fiber works and sculptures by Laurel Roth, as part of its ongoing "Anatomy in the Gallery" contemporary art program. The exhibitions will run concurrently, opening on Friday, January 30, 2009, with a free, public reception for the artists from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m., and remaining on view through April 17. These exhibitions present second opinions on the hospital as an institution and the women's healthcare industry, asking whose views are actually skewed—the artists' or society's?

"Put This in Your Mouth" features Chicago artist Dominic Paul Moore's graphite depictions of images culled from medical advertisements, modified according to his memories of the sterile hospital environment as an asthmatic child and the son of a respiratory therapist. Moore's stark and simplistic compositions often replace the ads' humane medical assistants with cold yet anthropomorphous machines, exploiting the cinematic qualities of these source materials to subvert their original intent. Moore's sinister scenes lead the viewer to question medical care and wonder whether the supposedly safe and reliable hospital establishment is as innocent as it may seem—are these care-givers prolonging life or taking it? Ultimately his illustrations bring to mind the ongoing Social Security debate, as well as issues of security and trust with regard to social institutions. Moore has exhibited throughout the Midwest, and his work is currently featured in the flat files of the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis. For more information about Moore and his work, see www.dominicpaulmoore.com.