RECYCLING

Bai Yiluo 白宜洛 (China)

The heart is the powerhouse of the cardiovascular system, crucial for pumping blood around the body. With increasing rates of cardiovascular disease worldwide, will heart transplants be on the rise? And where will these organs be sourced?

Recycling is an enormous fibreglass human heart tied onto the back of a ‘san lun che’, a

popular multi-purpose tricycle often used for carrying recycled paper, cardboard and firewood in China. The artists asks, “What if someone decides to sell their heart cheap to the first guy who came around collecting rubbish for recycling?” This reference can be explored beyond the emotional connotations of the heart and disposable love to a much more disturbing connection with the rising trade in human organs. Thousands of organs are transplanted in China every year, a number that far exceeds the list of registered donors, opening ethical and legal questions around the source of these body parts.

Bai Yiluo was born in Luoyang, Henan Province, China and is a self-taught photographer and sculptor. His artwork draws upon both ancient and contemporary skills to develop installations which reflect the human condition as a cyclical struggle, torturously beautiful and poetically triumphant. His work has been shown widely, including at Marella Gallery, Beijing, Miele, Switzerland, and at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London.