(I've got you) Under my skin at Circle Culture Gallery, Berlin

9th november 2012 - 15th february 2013

In 2012 Jonathan Yeo exhibited his surgical series, which explores the prevalent trend for surgical enhancement and the endless quest for beauty, at the Circle Culture Gallery in Berlin. The surgery series was first shown at Lazarides Gallery, London, the year before in the solo exhibition ‘You’re Only Young Twice’. The Berlin show consisted of new pieces, which continued to build on the surgery theme.

Exhibited alongside the plastic surgery works was a striking portrait of the actress Sienna Miller whilst heavily pregnant. On the poignancy of the painting Yeo stated:

“I wanted an image that epitomised the human body in its most naturally beautiful state to make the sharpest possible contrast with my other paintings in this exhibition, which document patients undergoing cosmetic surgery in a bid to help them conform to societal notions of beauty.”

The portrait also confronts the difficulties that pregnant women face in terms of representation in the public domain, especially famous ones, with Yeo noting that “certain sections of society are still uncomfortable with the appearance of pregnancy and images of naked and expectant mothers are rarely seen.”

The theme of the exhibition was to explore notions of beauty and the representation of women in society, in particular the dichotomy between unrealistic and realistic ideals of femininity.