Non-human life
How alive can non-human forms be? What is their agency, and how are we humans connected to these beings? These questions resurface in the artworks of Isabelle Andriessen, Amanda Piña, and Andrés Jaque in COME CLOSER. They challenge the classical perspective where humans are central and invite us to reconsider our relationship with nature and other worlds. 'Non-human life,' the theme of our second Artist Talk.
The three artists explore transformation and metamorphosis in non-human entities. In Transspecies Kitchen (2022) by Andrés Jaque, plants and crops in the park release new energy through fermentation. Amanda Piña emphasizes how anemones and organisms at the bottom of the ocean form the soul of the ocean. And the changing animated sculptures by Isabelle Andriessen seem to yearn for life...
Independently, these artists emphasize the dynamic nature of non-human existence. They recognize the agency and evolutionary processes of other living organisms, such as plants and stones, thereby challenging our anthropocentric notions of identity.
At the same time, in their performances, they also explore the interconnectedness of human and non-human worlds. Amanda Piña invokes the ocean in a ritual performance with the audience amidst the trees in the art park. You can cook and taste in Andrés Jaques' fermentation kitchen. Human and non-human forms come together, inviting you to reflect on your own place in the larger whole where everything is interconnected.
In this Artist Talk, Isabelle Andriessen, Amanda Piña, and Andrés Jaque delve deeper into their theoretical concepts, philosophical and ecological. In doing so, they encourage dialogue about the relationship between humans and the non-human world.
Moderator: Zeynep Kubat
