EXHIBITION: The State of Us

THE STATE OF US
9 November 2019 – 23 February 2020
The Lowry
Pier 8, The Quays, Salford, M50 3AZ
United Kingdom

Amy Karle exhibiting artwork in group exhibition.
Note: Amy Karle will give a short artist talk on opening night.

Through time, natural evolution has shaped the world we live and as a consequence the human species, but now human intervention is overriding natural laws of selection. The balance has tipped towards ‘engineered evolution’ by a single species, as technology intervention surpasses the rate of nature and rewrites the laws of evolution. We have become engineers of our own humanity

The State of Us explores body modifications without boundaries. From grotesque to the wonderful, these digital artists examine how the body and self are transformed, manipulated, reinvented and reshaped to create a new ‘self’, to reshape our human connection – for better or worse.

The State of Us will feature a collection of work by ten international artists. These contemporary artists have experimented with the body and technology to transform, manipulate, reinvent or reshape how we see and understand ourselves.

The exhibition will question if technological intervention has out-paced natural order and examine if humans are engineering evolution.

The exhibition features artists from Belgium, Canada, Germany, Philippines, Russia, UK and USA and includes:

Art of Deception by Isaac Monte: a series of 12 animal hearts
Until I Die by Dmitry Morozov: a sculpture that uses fake human blood to create electricity
Regenerative Reliquary by Amy Karle: the frame of a human hand grown using biotechnology
Sekseneutraal by Mac Daniel V Palima & Hettie Holman: a filmed dance performance that explores gender shape-shifting
Anatomy of Desire by Kurt d’Haeseleer: a virtual jury that analyses imagined criminal memories
Tides by Marshmallow Laser Feast: the flow of air and fluid in the body animated in print and CGI film
Brains in a Dish by Charlie Murphy: intimate sculptures of the inner body made out of recycled medical glass and instruments
Virus by William Latham: a virtual reality trip through the microscopic world of viruses
A Generative Adversarial Network by Matthew Biederman: a series of airport body scans that try to identify threats

Lucy Dusgate, curator of the exhibition for The Lowry, said: “Mary Shelley wrote in Frankenstein that the human body was a ‘workshop of filthy creation’ – and never has that statement been so accurate. Technology has enabled us to imagine the distance between truth and fantasy. It’s a fascinating topic and one we think our visitors will enjoy exploring.”

The State of Us is the latest contemporary art exhibition at The Lowry (One Of UK’s Leading Arts Hubs) and forms part of their commitment to presenting the best experimental art to audiences. The international exhibition includes artists from Belgium, Canada, Germany, Mexico, Philippines, Russia, Switzerland, UK and USA:

Isaac Monte, Dmitry Morozov, Amy Karle, Mac Daniel V Palima & Hettie Holman, Kurt d’Haeseleer, Marshmallow Laser Feast, Charlie Murphy, William Latham, Matthew Biederman, Patrick Tresset