Uncanny Splendour for FEM-Me at Bankstown Arts Centre
Exhibited at Bankstown Arts Centre of a future of female innovation at FEM-Me: Feminine Mechanics and Other Kinetic Systems. Featuring artists Lian Loke, Narjis Mirza, Dagmar Reinhardt, Mari Velonaki and Wendy Zhang, and curated by Deborah Turnbull Tillman and Rachael Kiang, this exhibition champions the exploration of human-robot interaction through female perspectives.
Building upon the 2022 SHErobots exhibition at Tin Sheds Gallery, FEM-Me reflects on the works of the key women leading contemporary robotics innovation and how emerging Western Sydney artists engage with the theme.
Artists: Lian Loke, Narjis Mirza, Dagmar Reinhardt, Mari Velonaki and Wendy Zhang
Curators: Dr Deborah Turnbull Tillman and Rachael Kiang
Creative Producer: Michael Pham
Uncanny Elements
Uncanny Elements is a digital artwork from the Fem:Me project, which examines the entanglement of the female form, mechanics, and technology. Drawing on Donna Haraway’s theories of entanglement and hybrid beings, the work envisions the body as a site of connection between organic and synthetic, natural and digital, embodying the fluid boundaries that define our contemporary existence.
The piece integrates influences from Taoist Wuxing (Five Elements) philosophy, representing the flow of energetic systems through abstract, kinetic forms. These iridescent shapes, reminiscent of blooming organisms and pulsating machinery, symbolise the cycles of subtle transformation and interdependence. The shifting colours and layered geometries evoke a meditative rhythm, emphasising the interconnectedness of human and non-human agents.
The digitally modeled human figure sits at the center of a network of vibrant, living systems—an embodiment of Haraway’s cyborg metaphor. Through its quiet, uncanny stillness, the artwork invites viewers to contemplate the convergence of body, machine, and environment, and the potential for harmony within these complex entanglements.
Uncanny Splendour
Uncanny Splendour explores the delicate interplay between the human form and the flourishing of organic life, blurring the boundaries between body and nature.
Part of the Fem:Me collection, this piece embraces the Taoist philosophy of harmony and interconnectedness, featuring vibrant, unearthly flowers that grow in and around the digital figure. Inspired by Donna Haraway’s concepts of entanglement and multispecies symbiosis, the work meditates on the uncanny beauty of life flourishing across human and non-human systems.
Development
Shown at Bankstown Arts Centre
Official Opening by Principal Curator of the Powerhouse Museum, Matthew Connell
