The Imaginary Herbarium of Dr James Miranda Barry
Alessandra Pirovano
4 May - 5 June 2011
Free Entry
Launch Event 4 May 2011, 7pm
Free Entry
In 1865, Dr James Miranda Barry, a military
surgeon who retired after a brilliant career as General Inspector of Army Hospitals,
died in London. An assistant was tasked with preparing his body for burial. To
his surprise, he discovers that the esteemed surgeon is a woman;
a woman who bears the unmistakable signs of a past pregnancy.
Dr James Miranda Barry was born Margaret Ann Bulkley in 1795. In 1809, in order to be admitted to the Medical School of the University of Edinburgh, which at the time barred entry to women, she dressed as a man and under the name of James Miranda Barry went on to practice as a surgeon.
Margaret Ann Bulkley’s formidable passion for the practice of medicine and her brilliant career speak volumes of her determination and intelligence. Alessandra Priovano’s My Herbarium aims to celebrate, in the form of an imaginary diary, the secrecy of Dr James Barry/Margaret Bulkley’s private life. “These artworks are my homage to the courageous women who came before me and an opportunity for women everywhere to bear witness to Margaret Ann Bulkley’s path-breaking journey towards gender equality, without having to disguise their sex.”
Dr James Miranda Barry was born Margaret Ann Bulkley in 1795. In 1809, in order to be admitted to the Medical School of the University of Edinburgh, which at the time barred entry to women, she dressed as a man and under the name of James Miranda Barry went on to practice as a surgeon.
Margaret Ann Bulkley’s formidable passion for the practice of medicine and her brilliant career speak volumes of her determination and intelligence. Alessandra Priovano’s My Herbarium aims to celebrate, in the form of an imaginary diary, the secrecy of Dr James Barry/Margaret Bulkley’s private life. “These artworks are my homage to the courageous women who came before me and an opportunity for women everywhere to bear witness to Margaret Ann Bulkley’s path-breaking journey towards gender equality, without having to disguise their sex.”
About Alessandra Pirovano
Born in Milan, Alessandra Pirovano has worked
for several years with historical scientific images, hand painted with gouache
and overdrawn with pencils, cut and shaped as imaginary flowers, plants and
landscapes. The life of Margaret Ann Bulkley has been an inspiration for her
research on the nexus between ‘anatomy as art’ and human identity. She works
and lives in London. Visit her blog : http://www.italicseed.blogspot.com/
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