When I was younger, I had to have my tonsils removed for a second time because they regrew. The doctor explained this was a potential side effect of the surgery, but still biologically possible. What genetic conditions, cellular makeup, or dormant regenerative mechanisms were needed for a part of my body to completely grow back? Since then, I have been fascinated by the body's capacity for regeneration, adaptation, and mutation, like a lizard’s ability to regrow its tail. 

Second Skin is part of my ongoing series, Lizard Person, which explores regeneration in relation to digital avatarism. It presents the body as a system that constantly reconstructs itself through biological mutation and computer simulation. Through sculpture, digital fabrication, and installation, the idea of regeneration is discussed not only as biological but also as technological in terms of scanning, mapping, and rendering the body as data.

In 3D modeling, a UV map flattens a three-dimensional surface into a two-dimensional coordinate system so that textures can be applied to the surface. Inspired by the biological process of ecdysis, in which reptiles shed their skin, Second Skin merges digital unwrapping with biological shedding to create a skin-like membrane pressed between two panes of acrylic, resembling a scientific slide.

The work begins with a digital model of my body that is UV unwrapped using cube projection, producing a flattened arrangement of UV islands based on orthographic views of the body. This UV map is then translated into a physical texture and used as the surface for casting silicone. Once cured, the silicone is peeled away from the textured surface, producing a thin, flexible membrane that mimics the appearance and structure of shed skin. The resulting object preserves the geometry of the digital body while transforming its surface into a physical, discarded layer.

October. 01 - 11, 2026

ART/SPACE 114 | Los Angeles, CA

Curation and Documentation: kivestudio