Michael Joo's Untitled (Antlers), 1999 is part of an ambitious body of work exploring contemporary concerns regarding humanity's transformation of nature through science and industry. A methodical hybrid of stainless steel and natural antlers, the work brings the outdoors indoors in an unsettling, yet aesthetically pure way. In a sense, the work can be considered a critique of humanity's interference with nature; in another sense it presents industry as a type of assist, acting as a structural support for a fractured natural form.

Why do we perceive as we perceive? Michael Joo’s non-linear, almost cyclical approach to his practice, together with his combination of scientific language and research, results in work that is a documentation of process. Whether chemically treated, silver-coated or photo-based, Joo’s artwork combines a range of techniques associated with sculpture, painting, photography and printmaking. He continues to blur the boundaries between art and science through his investigation into ontology, epistemology and entropy; creating a cross-disciplinary and multi-dimensional dialogue to engage, question, meditate and explore. By juxtaposing humanity’s various pools of knowledge and culture, Joo addresses the fluid nature of identity itself. It seems as if the artist’s intention is to achieve the unachievable: to make us see an object in real life that is barely conceivable as thought alone. This work is part of his silver nitrate painting series, which strives to make visible the invisible, allowing viewers to literally see themselves in the work.