For his ongoing series ‘Self‘, artist Marc Quinn creates self-portraits using his own blood as a medium. First, Quinn’s head is cast in plaster of Paris and then mixed with ten pints of his own blood before immersed in frozen silicone. He’s been creating these sculptures every five years since 1991. The series, which was made during a time the artist was an alcoholic, is a way to document and preserve the natural aging process as well as a symbol of his dependency. In order to retain its frozen shape, the works need to be plugged in to an electricity source. The making of the sculptures is documented on Quinn’s website.

Self, 1991

Self, 1996

Self, 2001

Self, 2006

Self, 2011