Recently, I attended the FaceOff Gallery Show opening at the International Museum of Surgical Science, co-curated by Noah Scalin of Skull-A-Day and Vanessa Ruiz of Street Anatomy. It was the first time I’ve been at the museum and saying that the entire event was amazing would be an understatement.

FaceOff includes various artworks depicting the human skull and face-to-face skull connections.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Melissa Murillo (Meyoko) x Ali Glec
Giclee print on archival matte paper – 19.75 x 27.5 inches

Joshua Harker
3D printed polyamide sculptures – 3.6 x 4.5 x 5 inches

Life-size white-chocolate skull by Annabel de Vetten from Conjurer’s Kitchen. Later, it was smashed so that everyone could eat it. It was delicious!

Since I’ve never been to the museum before, I took the opportunity to wander around. It includes tons of medical artifacts from different centuries and importance of fine craft and illustration are highly evident. Each tool was intricately decorated and detailed for its own specialized use:

Individual memories that each viewer carries with them paint the final picture on top of the reality in front of them. No matter what we do, we see things through our own personal filter.

For me, a part of me felt like I was in my dad’s old metal workshop (he was an airgun inventor). Another part of me remembered the medical adventures in my childhood while living in Ukraine. And the entire time, I was filled with pure curiosity and appreciation of the human anatomy, evolution of the tools, and their artistry. (Plus, appreciation for today’s existence of anesthesia.)

Of course, the evening was also filled with music, beer & wine, and great people. I even got to participate in drawing a skull:

The FaceOff Art Show is gong on until August 25, 2013 so be sure to make time for it and the museum. If you’re unable to make it, you can check out the photos of the art here.