Corpus Hominis

“Corpus Hominis” consists of a series of hosts made according to the traditional recipe for sacred hosts, “enriched” with a mixture of micro and macroplastics. In the Christian Catholic religion, hosts are round-shaped wafers made from unleavened bread, traditionally used in the Eucharist to symbolize the Corpus Christi—the body of Christ. In “Corpus Hominis,” the host assumes a symbolic role that contrasts sharply with the Eucharistic rite: rather than being an object of reverence as the body of Christ, the host here represents the human body, polluted by the waste it creates. From the alveoli in the lungs to the bloodstream, from the placenta to breast milk, microplastics have infiltrated what is meant to be “sacred” and pure. While in religious practice the host represents union with the divine, “Corpus Hominis” draws attention to our shared responsibility for the environmental impact of human progress on both the planet and our own bodies.