This book serves as a comprehensive survey of the provocative and imaginative works of contemporary artist Patricia Piccinini. Helen McDonald's publication delves into Piccinini's career, highlighting her rise to prominence following the impactful 'Young Family' exhibition at the 1993 Venice Biennale. The book explores the artist's unique creations, which populate an imaginative realm with beings that are both charming and disquieting, blending elements of the human and the animal, the mechanical and the organic.

This book is recognized as the first major publication dedicated to Patricia Piccinini, an artist celebrated for her unique and often unsettling creations. The work is noted for its detailed reproduction and discussion of her significant pieces, which explore complex themes of bioethics and the nature of being. The publication traces her career, particularly her breakthrough at the Venice Biennale, and examines the imaginative world she constructs through her sculptures. It offers a deep dive into her artistic vision and the profound questions her art raises about humanity and its relationship with the natural and artificial.