“Biopolitical Effigies: The Volatile Life-Cast in the Work of Paul Thek and Lynn Hershman Leeson,” Tate Papers, no. 24 (Fall 2015), online (original) (raw)

This paper explores the work of Paul Thek and Lynn Hershman Leeson in the context of biopolitical themes, focusing on their wax effigies created in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The installations of both artists challenge traditional notions of sovereignty and individual identity, revealing the underlying volatility of the human condition. Through an analysis of Thek's 'Meat Pieces' and Hershman Leeson's 'The Dante Hotel,' the paper investigates how these works serve as critical reflections on societal marginalization and the intersection of power, technology, and gender.