Klari Reis: Hypochondriac

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The Cynthia Corbett Gallery presents Hypochondriac by Klari Reis. This extraordinary installation comprises a series of 150 Petri dishes, hand-painted using reflective epoxy polymer to depict electron microscope images of viruses, viscera and pharmaceuticals reacting with the human body. Supported by steel rods, the paintings sit at varying degrees of distance from the wall evoking depth and motion. Klari Reis, working with pharmaceutical agencies in San Francisco uses medical cellular imagery to explore the contemporary complex relationship with today's pharmaceuticals. The amorphous arrangement of Hypochondriac has a feeling of movement as it flows across the wall. The new circular formations of the installation emphasise the form that is seen when looking under the microscope. Each Petri dish is a biological experiment created in my studio. Bright colours dominate the works mirroring the bright dyes used in laboratories to highlight cellular elements. The reactions and interactions of paint are frozen in time within each plastic dish. The arrangement of a circle is a controlled planned space, while the movement of the amorphous shape aims to envelop the wall. Both installation arrangements represent the challenges that occur when creating the individual pieces; a struggle to contain, manoeuvre and alter the natural and unnatural reactions that occur during a chemical reaction.