U.S. healthcare debate inspires artist to create morbid sculpture

Don't fret: That's not a real body lying on a hospital gurney in the photograph above. As you may have surmised by now, it's actually a realistic sculpture that is intended to make a statement about our country's debate on health care.

The artwork, titled "Pre-existing Conditions," is set to debut at the Art Basel fair in Miami this week. The life-size sculpture was created by Milwaukee's Marc Sijan, who specializes in figurative and realistic art.

Sijan, 62, said a friend agreed to serve as a model for the polyester-resin piece, adding that his friend stands approximately 5 feet 10 and weighs about 300 pounds. The finished artwork was made through a combination of sculpting, modeling and casting, according to the artist.

"I was considering placing an unpaid invoice in his hand," Sijan said in a phone interview. But he ultimately decided against it.

The artist described himself as a political moderate on the healthcare debate. "I'm independent on the whole thing," he said. "I'm not a Republican or a Democrat. By the time it's all done, I just hope I have some coverage."

However, a press release issued today took a more heated tone when describing the sculpture, saying it is an indictment of the insurance industry that "regularly rejects healthcare claims, especially pre-existing health conditions."

Sijan said he likes "to report visually on the human condition of normal people." He added that the sculpture has a price tag of $80,000. Who would want to buy such a morbid work of art? "There are collectors in the world who are looking for something cutting edge, something that emotionally has a spike to it," said the artist.

And in case you were wondering: The artist said he buys his own healthcare insurance. "It's Blue Shield," he said.

-- David Ng

Photo: "Pre-existing Conditions" by Marc Sijan. Credit: Shamin Abas

Comments

[J Downs]

I think the artist should send his sculpture to the UK, where people are really dying. 38% higher death rate from cancer:

http://biggovernment.com/2009/12/02/u-k-cancer-death-rate-is-38-higher-than-in-u-s/

Too bad the LA Times can't print such things, and has become an opinion publication rather than news.

[c]

J Downs: Wow you've sure mastered the art of fear-mongering and propaganda.

[WilDaMA]

Obesity is a major contributor of the high healthcare costs in this country

[Michael S]

@J Downs: This is about art. Please save your teabagging disinformation for shouting down people who lost loved ones to our deplorable health care system. In case you didn't notice, the blog you credit is by Dick Morris, who spent a good part of his life shilling as a Tobacco Industry Lawyer. Finally, the Congress and Senate aren't even looking at Single Payer Plan or did that obvious fact elude you?

[Joe]

I think everyone agrees medical insurance needs regulation and there should be no pre-existing qualifying. Insurance needs lots of regulating. But, this is NOT what Obama care is about. Obama reform is about taking away freedom of the People and becoming a communist state where the federal government holds all our money and all the power. See the movie by Polanski, "The Pianist" and you will see what Obama has in store for us. And read the book, 1984. Are these computers already the government's teleprompters?

[Michael S]

@ Joe: 1984? Communism? I'm waiting for the Hitler and Caligula comments.

The last time we tried health care reform, it got blocked by the insurance industry and let me tell you, my insurance went up 3X since then. You want to trust these guys again or does repeating the same mistake and comparing the President to every evil regime in history somehow make you feel your hyperbole is substitution for fact and reason?

[Donald Frazell]

Joe is a scared little boy, growing juevos are not covered in medical plans even by your beloved HMOs, like they arent a government bureacracy in themselves.

People who dont take care of themselves should not be entitled to the same coverage as those who do, like love, health is a two way street. I aint gonna pay for thsoe who wont do for themselves. If you are taht fat you have a death wish. And by teh way kids, we are all going to die. Its quality of life, not quantity, though that is nice too. But if you dont care, why should we?

Death, like taxes, are inevitable. Get over it. Do the best we can and live til its over. Nothing is perfect.

[David M]

Did the "realistic sculpture" supposedly die from lack of insurance or obesity?

[mznomer]

I love it!

Missing from all the discussion is an active conversation with Americans who not only suffer hourly but who will predictably die before/whether any "reform" occurs.

Death is the doctor for the poor-----and this includes those w/pre-existing conditions particularly if their fixed income = @1.00 in excess of guidelines for Medicaid.

[mlm]

I can understand from reading the above comments why the artist has tried to distance himself from the politics of health care. The name calling can be tiring and if it is accompanied with guns, terrifying. I am simply happy the artist makes enough money to afford to buy his own health insurance.

[Donald Frazell]

More like disgusting, as the only reason he did it was to get attention and monies from folks who are angry enough to get guns over it. Like he said "I just hope I have some coverage." Its all about him, not the work, or the issue. Why should I care about him? Artistes matter no more or less than anyone else. Less actually, when just gold diggers like this fool.

Just another wannabe brat, no different than any other marketing scum, which is really propgaganda. He just does his like papparazzi, selling the the highest bidder, if one can be found. When will we ever get artists who are actualy conccenred with their craft and creating art? None of that at these absurdist events. That would take intelligence, not just being "clever".

Another example
art collegia delenda est
fine art colleges must be destroyed

[Paulm]

I think this is art because it causes us to feel and think. Regardless of the eternal conundrum of heath care, the artist points to our own mendacity with a macabre Poe would find funny, as do I.

[Cate]

Big Shroud of Turin, keeps on turnin'.

[Dean]

Among other things, medical marijuana is known to cure conservatism, when someone says "jump", instead of "how high", it's "ha ha!". A lot of people in this country could stand being a little obedience impaired.

[Sophie]

It’s visual impact gives people scared and he tried to focus on the work as an real body which allows people to think more seriously and deeply.

[Anonymous]

I thought it was a pregnant woman at first...

[Sandi B]

Better than an unpaid bill in the figure's hand, the artist should have used a policy cancellation notice.

[caro]

I love people who blindly critisize health care in the UK - yes, regular, scheduled healthcare can be a pain - but urgent care is fantastic. My mother just spent over a month in a renal care ward, with non-stop tests, high-level specialists and great, attentive, kind nurses. She's now an out-patient, still getting lots of tests and diagnostic work... and for all this she's literally not seen a bill, and never will.

If she lived over here she's be dead or bankrupt by now... and national healthcare is a bad thing because???

[WilDaMA]

they should've put a cheeseburger in his hand