Lise Autogena and Joshua Portway
Untitled Superorganism
The viewer first encounters an strange, slightly acidic, smell as they enter the gallery. There is a dark circle on the floor. As you approach the circle you realise it consists of hundreds of thousands of dead ants.
A neraby screen shows a video which has been filmed in the gallery during the process of installing the exhibition – the video describes the phenomenon of an ant mill.
“In a spiral of ants, thousands of ants walk in a circle, in a ceremonial procession, until that they stop exhausted, sometimes dead. One hypothesis is that this phenomenon is simply an evolutionary quirk, a flaw in the ingenious pheromone-based system that governs the complex social behaviors and hierarchy of an ant colony. But who knows, maybe they choose this suicidal ritual, maybe this is their Stonehenge.”
Artist Bio
Lise Autogena and Joshua Portway, a collaborative duo, create innovative artworks that delve into complex socio-political and environmental issues through film, installation, and participatory art. Their projects, such as “Kuannersuit; Kvanefjeld” which explores the impacts of a proposed mineral mine in Greenland, and “Black Shoals; Dark Matter” which visualizes financial markets, engage audiences in critical dialogues about contemporary challenges.
Themes: human, agency, extinction
Category: Events