R&D is proud to present its inaugural exhibition Bad Management featuring New York based artists Tyler Giordano and Alexandra Borovski.
Today, if we are not feeling the direct consequences of poor environmental stewardship, we are reminded constantly through news media headlines where our negligence is failing us. This consistent bad management has placed immeasurable strain on the intricate tapestry of life that we so deeply rely on. The news of environmental collapse and the cost of human life has become so commonplace that it can often leave one hopeless. It’s a challenge to even spot where in our own lives and psyches the balance can shift into repair. However, the adaptive nature of this planet will prevail and the question more so lies in our capability of engaging with environmental changes. The works on view aim to be present with the consequences of Bad Management while proposing new possibilities for the evolution of life on our planet.
Giordano and Borovski present a taxonomy of future lifeforms that have evolved beyond the troubles of our time. Giordano’s “Gum” and “Limb”, a set of biomorphic shields made from oil paint, plywood and oven bake clay, reference the artist's experience visiting "Gumbo Limbo" a turtle sanctuary and rehabilitation site in his home town of Fort Lauderdale Florida. Here, turtles are rehabilitated after injury with prosthetics made from plastics, 3d printed flipper implants and taught to swim with the help of helium balloons and various other human interventions. The surface of “Gum” and “Limb” is disrupted by what could be a growth, or scarification. It is unclear if this is a mutation or adaptation.
Borovski’s Interspecies Studies, 16 ink drawings on antique ledger paper, show fabulations of interdependent hybrid organisms that are part insect, part amphibian, part plant, and part human. Perhaps depicting the last vestiges of our anatomy living on in the guts of a faceless skin breathing toad. Inspired by medieval bestiaries and 19th century scientific illustrations, “Interspecies Studies” calls viewers to investigate these amalgams, closely admiring their oddities and strange elegance.
Although the Bad Management of our current power structure looms heavy, we invite visitors to view this work through a lens of resilience and positive speculation. Perhaps the distant future will contain human life as we know it, or more than likely, something new will emerge.