Kathy Prendergast

Corporeal mapping is the subject of Kathy Prendergast's Body Map series, eleven exquisitely detailed ink and watercolor drawings done in 1983. Maps are talismanic in that they give us our bearings in a physical world, align us with something beyond and greater than ourselves and, at the same time, flatter us by giving us a sense of control over the area mapped. Prendergast's body maps disturb our belief in correspondences and reveal the very sinister underpinnings of this faith. These maps reveal the psychological interconnectedness between the activities of exploration and mapmaking, the desire to scrutinize, inscribe, and control the female body, and the colonial control of other lands through mapping and naming.

About the Artist:
Kathy Prendergast was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1958. She received a B.A. from the National College of Art and Design in Dublin and an M.F.A. from the Royal College of Art in London. She was awarded the Premio Duemila award for best young artist at the 1995 Venice Biennale. She now lives and works in London.

Introductory Essay by Jo Anna Isaak / Pictures from the Exhibition / List of Works / Excerpts of Essays included in the Catalog / History of the Exhibition / How to order a print copy of the catalog / About the Curator / Website Credits