Here, we ask an artist about the essential details behind a recent work.
Bio: Anastasia Komar, 37, New York
Title of work: EDEn I, II, and III.
Where to see it: In my studio at Silver Art Projects, and the piece was recently on view at Management’s booth at Independent New York.
Three words to describe this work: Biotechnology, electromagnetic field, evolution.
What was on your mind at the time: Artists are like perceptive markers; they absorb everything that happens in the world on a very deep level. There is a sense that something is shifting; even if you haven’t read or seen it, you can feel the change. While researching for this work, I was oscillating between being completely terrified and excited about the future. There will be many more new categories of living beings, and we will need to reconsider what it all means in the context of humanity. We are again at an interesting point in history where scientists are rethinking what we know about the world and how it works. I hope one day I will see that future.
An interesting feature that’s not immediately noticeable: The more you look at the work, the more you see that the 3D-printed sculptures don’t just sit on top of the painted surface, they have a symbiotic relationship, coalescing into a single object where the parts are not independent from one another. The painted surface reveals the full, wide palette of colors only if you look at it up close, and by looking up close you might experience a perceptual phenomenon where the tiny brushstrokes feel like they are in motion.
How the work reflects your practice as a whole: My practice combines cutting-edge science with history and theology. Within my research, I delve into the transformative dynamics of formative processes across organic, cybernetic, and inorganic realms, propelled by technological interventions. The forefront of synthetic biology catalyzes these explorations, giving rise to unprecedented biological configurations and fostering the convergence of natural and artificial systems.
This particular work addresses the concept of molecular bioelectricity, which has the potential to revolutionize biology and accelerate the transhumanist project through biosynthetic computing. It also references themes from the biblical myth of the original sin. I try not to take a specific position on the “god complex” but rather to invite contemplation about the real-time negotiation happening in labs regarding civilizational progress versus existential risk.
