Explant

Gabrielle Jovin’s ‘Explants’ installation features the artists' 400 cc silicone breast implants sitting on a pedestal under a topless photograph of her scars post operation. At twenty-one years old Gabrielle was encouraged to get implants to help her career as a curve model. Naive and trusting the industry, she got her surgery and was immediately met with problems. Her body rejected the implants with inflammation, redness, and open wounds that led to multiple revision surgeries. Overtime she developed high blood pressure, severe anxiety, and breast implant illness. After four years, she finally decided to have her implants removed and start the journey back towards her natural state. 

The ‘Explant’ image was taken two months post implant removal, showing the fresh scars from reconstructing the tissue. This vulnerable installation is a way to reclaim her autonomy and embrace what she feared the most - while challenging her own ideas of what beauty is.
On view at Garel Fine Art in Manhattan Beach, California December 7th - January 18th, 2024.