Working alongside one another since 2019, Andie Aylsworth and Keyannah Isaacs formalised their curatorial partnership in 2023. Their collaborative practice explores the complex intersections of posthumanism and anthropocentrism, offering a sustained investigation into the shifting relationships between organic and inorganic matter, and between human and nonhuman entities. The ideological construction of the boundary between ‘human’ and ‘non-human’, and the persistent framing of the latter as ‘nature’ divides the exhibition. In her essay Threads, Evie Tarr frames this dualism through the parallel narratives of HAND and LAND, around which the exhibition is structured. 

 

‘The first part of this exhibition, 'LAND', focuses on anti-humanist ideology within posthumanism - looking to ideas with roots in traditional knowledge of the earth and the dirt. Traditional ecological knowledge does not allow an anthropocentric hierarchy to govern its narrative but, instead, teaches that all human and non-human beings are kin. Many of the artists, therefore, explore a deconstruction of the nature versus culture narrative. They say, 'this limb of the exhibition will metabolize the human and more-than human beings we share this land with?’ (Tarr, 2023)

 

‘The second part of the exhibition, HAND, delves into transhumanist ideology, focusing on what is 'human' and looking to the otherness of the body to pose questions about how well we know our own place in nature. The artists within the group present 'a new imagined reality influenced by ideas of the abject, transgressing borders, glitching and all that is ambiguous'. The space is liminal and, as a result, facilitates the blurring of boundaries - the work exists in a place outside any specific understanding of reality. 'In our reality, the artists say, 'one feels nauseous and lustful, grounded and split into atoms’. (Tarr, 2023)

 

Following its initial presentation at the Central Saint Martins Graduate Showcase in 2023 and its subsequent exhibition at Hypha Studios in 2024, the project has developed through multiple iterations. Aylsworth and Isaacs continue to refine its thematic concerns, with each iteration engaging more specifically with subject matter in parallel with the expansion of their respective practices. The participating artists innovative approach has garnered well-deserved recognition from esteemed awarding bodies such as LVMH, Maison/0, The Ingram Prize, the Other Art Fair, and the Barry Moore Foundation. Together, they inspire thought-provoking dialogues on the intersections of humanity, nature, and materiality.

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Exhibition Series:

2024 - Hypha Studios. https://hyphastudios.com/curated-by-andie-aylsworth/ (and Keyannah Isaacs)

2023 - Central Saint Martins Graduate Showcase