Not on display

One Flesh

Collage
1985 (made)
Artist/Maker
Chadwick, Helen (artist)
Place of origin
England (made)

One Flesh represents a madonna-like figure, a female child and a placenta in a collage of photocopies from life. The photocopies could have been produced in an unlimited number, but in this instance they have been assembled to create a unique work of art. The photocopying process has been used for the effect it creates rather than in order to produce an exactly repeated image.

Object details

Categories
Prints
Christianity
Birth
Photographs
Religion
Object type
Collage
TitleOne Flesh (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Collage of photocopies on paper
Brief description
'One Flesh', collage of photocopies on paper, Helen Chadwick, 1985
Physical description
'One Flesh', collage of photocopies, 168 x 113 x 6.5 cm. The title refers to the trinity of mother, child, and, above them (toned in gold), the placenta.
Dimensions
  • Height: 168cm
  • Width: 113cm
  • Depth: 6.5cm
Gallery label
Cameraless Photography

Helen Chadwick (1953–96)
One Flesh
1985
Photocopy collage
160 x 106.7 cm
Museum no. Ph.146-1986

One Flesh represents a Renaissance Madonna-like figure, a female child and a placenta in a gilt-framed collage of toned photocopies from life. The photocopies make use of modern office machinery to revisit the past and liberated the artist from conventional photography. While photocopies like photographs are intended to replicate in quantity, Chadwick used them in this instance to assemble a unique work of art.
(11/08/2011-27/11/2011)
This image of a mother and baby with a golden placenta floating above is assembled from photocopies. It combines this medium, which carries connotations of cheap, mechanical reproducibility, with references to Renaissance paintings of the Madonna and Child. As the title suggests, it is also a visceral depiction of the physical bond between mother and child and an evocation of Christian rituals of Holy Communion.
Credit line
Copyright puposes only: Courtesy of The Helen Chadwick Estate and David Notarius
Subjects depicted
Birth
Maternity
Women
Mothers
Children
Breast-Feeding
Infants
Summary
One Flesh represents a madonna-like figure, a female child and a placenta in a collage of photocopies from life. The photocopies could have been produced in an unlimited number, but in this instance they have been assembled to create a unique work of art. The photocopying process has been used for the effect it creates rather than in order to produce an exactly repeated image.
Bibliographic references
  • Baker, Malcolm, and Brenda Richardson (eds.), A Grand Design: The Art of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London: V&A Publications, 1999.
  • Kingsley, Hope with contributions by Riopelle, Christopher Seduced by art : photography past and present London: National Gallery, 2012
Collection
Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection
Accession number
PH.146-1986

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Record createdDecember 10, 2002
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O71781/one-flesh-collage-chadwick-helen/
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