Contraindications: Oysters & Pomegranates

2007

Sculptural video/audio installation

SHORT DESCRIPTION

Contraindications I: Oysters & Pomegranates is a video and sound installation that tells the story of a woman confronted by a symbolic still life. Drawing from vanitas painting traditions, the scene features oysters and pomegranates—evocative symbols of female sexuality and bodily experience—set within an ornate, surreal domestic space.

As she interacts with the lush surroundings, the woman becomes increasingly entrapped, ultimately suffocated by the very symbols that intrigued her. The work reflects on desire, taboo, and the psychological weight of representation.

Installed at the Melville Library Gallery in April 2007, the piece features visual performance by Ha Na Lee and sound composition by Felix Paster.