art to die for To prove her dedication to her art form Julia wants to donate her
body to Germany's renowned Institute for Plastination. If she goes ahead her body will be dissected, filled with a special polymer and preserved for exhibition after her death. "As a society we spend most of our time thinking about the past or
projecting into the future. The only moment that actually holds value is this moment. I use symbols of mortality in my work as an anchor into the present, a reminder of the importance of life. "The whole theme of death is something that grabs you out of
the insanity of life, and reminds you that we're all going to die so we should make the most of our lives instead of worrying about the things we have no control over." Julia has exhibited at the NGV, MCA, FIT (Fashion Institute
of Technology in NYC) and has a permanent installation (The Cinerarium, a real burial ground) as well as another work in the collection of MONA in Hobart. However, following the recent completion of this project Julia may rethink her planned plastination. "If there's a way I can send half of my body to Germany and the
other half to MONA that would be ideal," she quips. "But at the end of the day I don't care what happens to me. I know that the body is nothing when it's dead, but I think it's appropriate that I end up in
something that I've created." Her next series of works for the Sophie Gannon Gallery are sculptural pieces that are themed around a much stronger animal rights point. Stillborn calves, deer and lambs join chickens and a dog for the exhibition that aims to highlight the way we give preference to certain animals. "If a dog was treated the same way as a battery chicken or pig the
owner would go to jail, but it's legal for farm animals, which are just as intelligent and feel pain just as strongly from being treated inhumanly for a profit. "Most people buy free range eggs but won't think twice about
buying a tub of ice cream that uses battery eggs. It's simply unawareness and I'm using this platform to talk about something I feel very strongly about." juliadeville.com
All images on this page by Photographer: Terence Bogue
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