About the Print

“Frankenstein's Heart is an inventory of materials that I have used in my work for the past four decades. These are more than aesthetic choices and I see them as a glossary of terms to describe the fragile or morose, the memorable and grotesque, the sincere or hurtful, and the harmful yet tender. Rather than looking for clever tropes, the material speaks clearly while waiting for the sensitive listener. 

I made the first Frankenstein's Heart in 1993 for the survey exhibition, Encyclopedia Persona, and this artwork brings the visual language to a full circle.” - Kim Abeles 

About the Artist

Kim Abeles explores society, science literacy, feminism, and the environment, creating projects with science and natural history museums, health departments, air pollution control agencies, and National Park Service. NEA-funded projects involved a residency at the Institute of Forest Genetics; and Valises for Camp Ground in collaboration with Camp 13, a group of female prison inmates who fight wildfires. Permanent outdoor works include Walk a Mile in My Shoes, based on the shoes of the Civil Rights marchers and local activists.

Abeles has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, J. Paul Getty Trust Fund, and her process documents are archived at the Center for Art + Environment. Her work is in public collections including MOCA, LACMA, CAAM, Berkeley Art Museum, and National Geospatial Intelligence Agency. “Kim Abeles: Smog Collectors, 1987-2020” is a survey exhibition of the environmental series, presented at CSU Fullerton and in 2022 at CSU Sacramento. Recent publications about her projects include New York Times, Los Angeles Times, American Scientist Magazine, and the forthcoming book, Social Practice: Technologies for Change, Routledge Press.