A Sydney exhibition featuring real human bodies—including specimens posed in sexual positions—has prompted an ethics debate, with an anatomy lecturer questioning whether donors fully understood how their remains might be displayed after death.
Dr Joyce El-Haddad, a senior lecturer in anatomy and histology at UNSW, has raised concerns about whether donors provided informed consent for the specific uses and presentations of their bodies.
Body Worlds: The Anatomy of Happiness uses real human bodies preserved through plastination, a process that replaces bodily fluids with durable materials. The exhibition has drawn millions of visitors worldwide since its launch more than two decades ago.
“The organisers claim that the bodies have been donated,” Dr El-Haddad said.
“The bodies are displayed in many different ways—some riding a horse, some in penetrative sexual positions, some with a basketball—and the list goes on.”
She said informed consent should involve more than simply signing a form and called for closer consideration of who donated the bodies, what they understood they were agreeing to and how specific the consent process was.
“Respect, dignity, transparency and context do not disappear simply because somebody signed a form,” she said.
Exhibition organisers say the body donation program, established in 1982, has registered more than 21,000 donors around the world and represents the “ethical cornerstone” of Body Worlds.
UNSW anatomy and histology lecturer Dr Joyce El-Haddad said she wanted visitors to make an “informed decision” about whether to attend Body Worlds.
The Sydney exhibition opened on Monday and has joined a Body Worlds series that has welcomed millions of visitors globally since its launch more than 20 years ago.
The display has fuelled debate after real human bodies were presented in sexualised poses.
The program has been managed by Germany’s Institute for Plastination since 1993. It is no longer accepting new donor applications after reaching capacity.
A review of the institute’s donor consent documents found that donors agree their remains may be used to create “anatomical works of art” intended for the “medical enlightenment of laypeople” in museums and exhibitions.
The forms also state that donors understand their bodies may be supplied to organisations operating on a commercial basis.
Donors may indicate preferences for how their bodies are used, including requests for particular poses, although the institute says it “cannot guarantee” those wishes will be met.
The agreement further allows photographs and other images of plastinated bodies to be used indefinitely for educational, scientific and public information purposes.
Body Worlds is promoted as an educational experience aimed at improving public knowledge of anatomy, health and disease.
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However, Dr El-Haddad questioned how much visitors could learn about health, illness, ageing and wellbeing without knowing more about the lives and experiences of the people whose bodies are displayed.
“Think about your everyday encounters with people. How much do you assume about someone before you’ve spoken with them—before you’ve heard about their experiences, challenges, choices and circumstances?”
Organisers say the body donation program, founded in 1982, has registered more than 21,000 donors worldwide.
Public displays of human remains have a long and often controversial history
‘The exhibition claims that it is educational….okay, but: Education requires more than information.
‘We often assume that simply looking at something means we are learning from it.
‘A diseased lung can show us what happened. It cannot tell us about addiction, socioeconomic disadvantage, environmental exposures, access to healthcare, culture, or the lived experience of disease.
‘Without that context, visitors are left to construct their own narratives and make their own assumptions.
‘And if the exhibition is also open to children, what assumptions are they taking away?’
Dr El-Haddad said her concerns also stemmed from the long and often controversial history of displaying human remains to the public.
Human bodies and remains have previously been exhibited in cabinets of curiosity, travelling fairs, medical museums, carnival sideshows and so-called ‘human zoos’.
She noted such displays have at times been linked to racism, ableism, colonialism, sexism, classism and exploitation, and questioned what distinguished modern body exhibitions from those historical practices.
‘So my question is – what shields modern day human body exhibitions from the same condemnation?’
Despite her concerns, Dr El-Haddad said attending the exhibition was ultimately a matter of personal choice.
‘Well, ultimately that is up to you and I hope this post helps you make a better informed decision that aligns with your values.’
The organisers of the exhibition have been contacted for comment.