As a result, the subjects now have a a more "lifelike" appearance, but this does not mean they are art, Von Hagens said. "Because there are aesthetical aspects and considerations, it doesn't necessarily mean that this is art. If a woman is in a good-looking pose this does not mean that she becomes art. The specimens create emotions and usually scientific items do not create emotions, so this is perhaps why there is a confusion," Von Hagens said.
"I show everyone the analytical specimen. The brain may be cut in half, but it is still a brain. I would never turn a leg into a golf ball club, or a penis into a Volvo, a stomach into a Halloween mask, or a brain into a cabbage flower, because this would dehumanize the specimen and this is what I never do."
Von Hagens said he had a layman's approach to science, hence the popular way in which he presented his specimens. He also admitted to being a showman and a teacher, but not an artist. As for the future, he intends to open a
permanent exhibition in a major metropolitan center in two or three years' time. "Money, politics and plastination, when this is combined then a unique museum will be the outcome."
What: Body Worlds: The Anatomical Exhibition of Real Human Bodies (人體奧妙展)
When: Until March 13
Where: Kaohsiung Business Exhibition Center (
Hours: Open every day from 10am to 8pm
Cost: Adults NT$250, Students NT$180, under 110cm free, with concessions for groups
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