Patricia Piccinini was born in Freetown, Sierra Leone in 1965 immigrated with her family to Australia in 1980. After getting a degree in Economics, she then went to Melbourne where she studied Fine Art’s and majored in drawing.
Piccinini works with a wide range of media being, sculpture video, drawing, installation and digital prints.“Piccinini’s art rides the crest of a tidal wave of change, made possible through the completion of the mapping of the human genome and other extraordinary developments in science and medicine. Yet it is ordinary emotions that are its driving force.” (Linda Michael, We are Family). Piccinini’s work “Hello Possum” explores and addresses concerns about biotechnology. “Piccinini uses plastic, paint and computer pixels to mimic the generative potential of biological substances”, “a runaway science.” (NZ Art Monthly, Jane Silver Smith, January 2003)., video, drawing, installation and digital prints.

The first reaction that you get from these quite graphic sculptures, tend to shock you simply beacuse it looks so realistic. These "googley" bulging eyes, rubbery wrinkled skin, pig like snout, short stubby ears, long buck teeth and deep black eyes all seem like features of a kids dreamland monster, but the fact that these moulds look so life like, my second thought was, could these be trying to resemble us (humans) in a way. Hinting that, self modifying the human body with plastic surgery, cloning, genetic manipulation and DNA testing is un-natural although normal these days. She has used enlightenment to portray in a negative way, how human beings are vulgarising our "natural apperance" with new scientific approaches, we are slowly destroying our genitic make up in the process, it's a catch 22 really.

This work naturally makes you sympathize for the little creature although i feel it should be getting you use to what will soon become "the Norm" in many years to come, if we continue on this path of self mutilation, just to look different or better than the person beside you