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School of Visual Arts, New York

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Sympoiesis

A round wreath of rippled salmon skin is installed on a wall

Exhibition

Sympoiesis



Location: SVA Fine Arts Building
Opening reception: Wednesday, June 12, 2019. 6-8 pm

Artists

Cristine de Bem e Canto, Clare Benson, Yujia Bian,  Emma Fasciolo, Petja Ivanova, Ansel Oommen, Scott Robinson, Ernesto Solana.

Installation view of studio cubicles, including many natural artifacts displayed on tables, shelves and pedestalsSympoiesis Exhibition SVA Bio Art Summer Residency 2019

The School of Visual Arts (SVA) presents a group exhibition highlighting the work of eight artists and scientists, produced at SVA’s Bio Art Lab. Entitled, Sympoiesis, this exhibition speaks to Donna Haraway’s concept of boundaryless systems. Like complex, self-organizing, and collectively produced networks, the works in the exhibition range from video, installation, photography, sculpture, 3D printing, and living matter. Both materials and processes speak through the biological world as a matrix of metaphor. Materials include bacteria, fungi, plant and marine life, fish skins, as well as found artifacts and technologically driven programs.

Cristine de Bem e Canto (Brazil) interrogates the medium of photography as a conceptual and aesthetic language. While exploring the morphology, physiology, and reproductive mechanisms of plant and fungi, her work confronts sexuality across social systems. Clare Benson (USA) uses her work to explore the human-animal spectrum, through lenses of tradition, ritual, science, and mythology. Yujia Bian (SW China) explores nature’s conceit through metaphor. With humor, satire, and myth, her work generates stories of nature’s dynamism, through its materials and their interactions. Emma Fasciolo (USA) is a multi-media sculptor. Her bio-art installation focuses on the idea of synthetic biology by creating an organic environment with inorganic materials. Petja Ivanova’s (Bulgaria) work concentrates on organisms with exoskeletons and the way in which they represent the other. Ansel Oommen, MLS(ASCP) (USA), employs the concept of transparency in both biology and its behavior. Through chemical means, his work highlights and obscures the human desire to engage with the unknown. Scott Robinson’s (USA) work is a formal expression of the mysterious interplay of consciousness and the forces of nature. His interest is circumscribed by artificial aspects of our contemporary environment and society. Ernesto Solana (Mexico) makes visible the tensions between natural and artificial realms. His concepts include urbanisation and colonialism, and the ways they clash. He works in various mediums: photography, sculpture, and installation.

Please join us for a public reception on Wednesday, June 12, 2019, 6:00-8:00PM at 335 W 16th St. in New York City.

 

Photos by: Raul Valverde / onwhitewall.com

Sympoiesis - SVA Bio Art Residency Poster Installation view of images cropped in a circle, projected on a wall near the floor. Nearby a purple light illuminates a vase of water. Small lamp hangs above cylinder glass vase full of murky water, casting purple light. Detail of ear shaped sculpture buried in sand and submerged in murky water under a purple light. In the corner of a white room, a glass fishbowl is suspended high on a wall, with a small shelf mounted near the floor Glass fishbowl mounted to wall with a single orange fish swimming in a blur Glass fishbowl mounted to wall with a single orange fish resting at the bottom Dried mushroom cluster mounted on white wall Plaster cast of a finger inside of a glass Petri dish, resting on a wall mounted shelf Fish bowl on wall mounted shelf with ambigous object floating inside Arial view of fish bowl on wall mounted shelf with frozen sphere floating inside In the corner of a white room, a glass fishbowl rests on a wall mounted shelf, with a pile of moss lumped in the corner A lump of moss sits in the corner of a white room with a purple light casting shadows Bacterial cellulose stretched around armature wire to resemble a pitcher plant Bacterial cellulose stretched around armature wire to resemble a pitcher plant Side view of bacterial cellulose stretched around armature wire to resemble a pitcher plant A page from a book embedded between two pieces of bacterial cellulose that have created a shrink wrap effect A small copper pipe extrudes out of a tall pedestal to allow the view to peek inside A warped view looking down a long clear tube creates a pinhole of swirled light, surrounded by grey The rim of a copper pipe sticks out from a white painted wall, reveling a light inside In the corner of a white room hangs a large photograph of a flower cut in half, on the adjacent wall is a wooden shelf with a tombstone grown out of mycelium Photograph of the cross section of a flower hanging on a wall in front of a pedestal with a jar full of blue liquid 3 abstract photographs of varying sizes hang on a wall, spaced unevenly. A close up of two abstract photographs printed in rich purples and violet colors A sheet of slightly inclined wood holds a tombstone shaped pile of wood chips being digested by mycelium growth In the corner of a white room hangs a large photograph of a flower cut in half, on the adjacent wall is a wooden shelf with a tombstone grown out of mycelium A wooden shelf with a tombstone grown out of mycelium hangs on a white wall A detail of the mycelium growth reveals an impression of letters, spelling out the word AGUA 3d printed leaves hang from fishing line in a white room with astroturf carpet. In the corner of the room sits a transparent pedestal with a blue rose made of steel. 3d printed leaves hang from fishing line in a white room with astroturf carpet. 3d printed leaves hang from fishing line in a white room 3d printed leaves hang from fishing line in a white room next to a pedestal covered in astroturf with a blue rose made of steel. A close up of a 3d printed leave with a small hole at the top for suspending Blue roses made from steel are mounted on a pedestal and shelf in a white room bathed in purple light. On the far wall a laser cut mirrored lightbox depicts a wreath of thorns with a rose in the center Close up of a laser cut mirrored lightbox that depicts a wreath of thorns with a rose in the center A wooden shelf and later rest up against a grey wall. A close up a tile of wood that has been laser etched A close up a tile of wood that has been laser etched A close up a tile of wood that has been laser etched Acrylic puzzles pieces with purple flowers embedded displayed on a piece of wood A glass slide with stained wood samples displayed on a piece of wood Photographs of insects printed on silk hang from the ceiling in a white room. Photographs of insects printed on silk hang from the ceiling in a white room. Photographs of insects printed on silk hang from the ceiling in a white room. Photographs of insects printed on silk hang from the ceiling in a white room. Large vinyl text is on the wall of white room with a shallow table in the corner A brown hand-sewed mesh bodysuit displayed on a white table, with embroidery that reads “when wounds heal the cells form scars” A brown hand-sewed mesh bodysuit displayed on a white table, with embroidery that reads “when wounds heal the cells form scars” Fragments of dead insects arranged in a clock like circle on a white table In the corner of a white room is a short grey table with wooden trays holding plants, nearby a tall white pedestal displays small glass jars of preserved botanical specimens. Small glass jars of botanical specimens submerged in a liquid preservative. A face casted out of cement sits in a glass dish filled with liquid and fish specimens that have been stained and cleared Wooden trays holding glass bottles and fresh cut greenery In the corner of a white room sits a small grey table with cement discs, above hangs a dark blue t-shirt with a bleached leaf pattern A dark blue t-shirt with a bleached leaf pattern hangs on a white wall A hand embroidered design depicting the profile of a person made our of leaves, emphasizing the respiratory anatomy A hand embroidered design of an anatomical body made out of tiny leaves A man in a lab coat and gloves leans down and touches a plant cutting in a vase A man in an embroidered lab coat stands in front of a window with his hands in his pockets A man in an embroidered lab coat stands in front of a window with his hands in his pockets A man in an embroidered lab coat stands in the corner of brightly lit shelves filled with plants and specimens In a white room two paintings hang on a wall and on the opposing wall a shelf holds small sculptures A painting with a dark red foreground and lilac background features a large round depiction of a microscopic specimen A painting of statue like stone figures piled on top of each other. In a white room three photographs hang on a wall and on the opposing wall a shelf holds small sculptures A sculpture made of mycelium grown around styrofoam is cut inhalf to reveal the inside. A sculpture made of mycelium grown around styrofoam is cut inhale to reveal the inside. Cross section of mycelium substrate growing around styrofoam cube In the foreground, salmon skin hangs from the ceiling on fishing line, while a table with other fish skin and scale samples sits on the back wall Samples of deconstructed fish skins, scales and tails sit on a table around a black and white diagram of a ship and magnifying glass. Samples of deconstructed fish skins, scales and tails sit on a table around a magnifying glass Salmon skin hangs from the ceiling, suspend on fishing line A round wreath of rippled salmon skin is installed on a wall A round wreath of rippled salmon skin is installed on a wall A round wreath of rippled salmon skin is installed on a wall Vinyl text on the wall reads “fill the earth that moves over, subdue every living thing, over, multiply the fish of the sea, the birds on the earth, over” A wall mounted tv monitor plays a video of salmon skin rippling A wall mounted tv monitor plays a video of small fish swimming under ultraviolet light Installation view of studio cubicles, including many natural artifacts displayed on tables, shelves and pedestals In the corner of a white room two microscopic photos hang on one wall, while 3 pedestals hold sculptures made of found natural materials In a white room, a wall mounted shelf and 3 pedestals hold sculptures made of found natural materials A sculpture made of rock with a bone extruding from it Sculptures made of rock with a bone extruding from them rest on a pedestal Five sculptures rest on a shelf. Each sculpture is composed of neatly stacked found objects, coated in resin. Two sculptures composed of neatly stacked found objects, such as crab shells, cigarette butts, nails and coral Two sculptures composed of neatly stacked found objects, such as broken china, bird skeleton, sea weed and scotch tape Two sculptures composed of neatly stacked found objects, such as cigarette butts, nails, coral, bottle caps and broken glassware In a white room, a wall mounted shelf and table hold sculptures made of found natural materials In a white room, a wall mounted shelf and table hold sculptures made of found natural materials In a white room, a large white table displays a collection of found natural materials 8 transparent rectangles, made of tiny objects embedded in resin, lean on a wall mounted shelf 8 transparent rectangles, made of tiny objects embedded in resin, lean on a wall mounted shelf Two transparent rectangles, made of tiny objects embedded in resin, lean on a wall mounted shelf
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