Modest Witnesses

Part of the Group Exhibit Metabolically Yours, at SVA Bio Art Summer Residency

Map of the Space

“Modest Witnesses” is an interdisciplinary art exhibition that explores the ethical and personal impacts of global pharmaceutical practices. This research-driven endeavor features medications from the artist’s personal collection, including microscope images of pills, a time-lapse video of pills dissolving, and sculptural representations of 'guinea pigs' from frequently tested populations for drugs. The exhibition also highlights a large inflatable pill altar, underscoring how much faith and belief we place into the often unknown - pill molecules. Through these displays, "Modest Witnesses" invites viewers to reflect on the aesthetic allure of pharmaceuticals alongside their potential risks. This encourages us to critically examine the way in which health, trust, and exploitation intertwine in the pharmaceutical industry.

Room 1

Overview

1. Pharmacosmos, 2024. Archival print, 106 x 29 inches.

2. Microscape Medica, 2024. Multimedia Installation. Archival print, 106 x 8.5 inches; microscope, microscope slides, test tubes, dimensions variable; pills in their original packaging and encapsulated in resin, dimensions variable.

Room 2

3. Solutio, 2024. Single-channel video with stereo audio, dimensions variable.

Room 3

4. Yuhanxiao (Maggie) Ma, “The Guinea Pigs,” 2024. Multimedia Installation. Selective laser sintering 3d printed sculptures and a selection of pills, 20 x 8 x 3.8 inches; lightbox, backlit film prints, dimensions variable.

Yuhanxiao (Maggie) Ma · An Almost Exhaustive List of Pills - Usages Of Different Pills

5. An Almost Exhaustive List of Pills, 2023-2024. Stereo audio, 2:18:45.

Room 4

6. Yuhanxiao (Maggie) Ma, The Pill Alter, 2024. Stereo audio, fabric, air pump, kneeling cushions, 2 x 2 x 3 meters.