Living, dying (and flying) artworks — Inside Anicka Yi’s ephemeral universe
Living, Dying (and Flying) Artworks — Inside Anicka Yi’s Ephemeral Universe
Living dying and flying artworks – At the heart of New York’s art scene, Anicka Yi has crafted a series of installations that blur the lines between nature and technology. Her work, both in the Hudson Valley and the bustling streets of Manhattan, invites viewers to reconsider their interactions with the invisible forces that shape the world. At Storm King Art Center, she has created towering, glowing structures teeming with unpredictable microbial colonies, their hues ranging from vibrant acid green to rich coffee brown, arranged like remnants of an ancient excavation site. In the heart of Manhattan’s Lower East Side, two ethereal, jellyfish-like machines hover in the air, their tendrils mimicking the slow, deliberate movements of a living creature. Meanwhile, earlier this month, one of her radiolaria-inspired sculptures, a towering interpretation of a microscopic oceanic organism, drifted through the air at Frieze New York, its synthetic limbs twisting and curling in a mesmerizing dance.
Microbes as Artistic Medium
Yi’s fascination with the interplay between organic and synthetic systems has spanned more than two decades. Her art often highlights the subtle, sometimes odorous, ecosystems that exist beyond human perception, challenging viewers to embrace their impermanence and complexity. From crafting perfumes infused with bacteria swabbed from accomplished women to designing ant colonies in the shape of circuit boards, her creative process is as much about observation as it is about transformation. Recently, she has also developed environments where machines can evolve, learning from the unpredictability of natural systems. This approach reflects her belief in the interconnectedness of technology and biology, a theme that resonates deeply in her latest works.
“I hope that people who are familiar with my practice can thoughtfully weave these works together and see the broader syntax I’m aiming for,” Yi said, reflecting on her career’s progression. “It takes time to develop that kind of scope and depth—(ideas) need to age and season and marinate, and you can’t do that as a young artist.”
Her studio in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, is a testament to this philosophy. The space is filled with the remnants of her creations: glass biomorphic forms rest beside a collection of fragrances, including a mix of Chanel No. 5 and her own custom blends. Opened lanterns, resembling cocoons, sit on a table, while dyed and embroidered kelp samples are neatly organized in numbered bags on a board. A single prototype from her Storm King commission stands in one corner, its surface stained with soil and water from the sculpture park’s grounds. This physical presence underscores her commitment to blending the ephemeral with the tangible.
The Art of Time and Uncertainty
Yi’s installation “Message from the Mud” encapsulates the fleeting nature of life through its reliance on microbial growth. The columns, filled with life-sensitive organisms, are displayed in a shallow pond at the center of excavated earth, evoking the image of a long-forgotten archaeological find. The project’s success hinges on the delicate balance of environmental variables, a concept Yi has explored in her previous works. For instance, her “living paintings” are built using Winogradsky columns—self-contained ecosystems developed by Russian-Ukrainian microbiologist Sergei Winogradsky over a century ago. These structures, which thrive on microbial interactions, form vividly colored layers as algae and bacteria establish distinct zones over time.
For “Message from the Mud,” Yi incorporated local soil and pond water, alongside organic additives like shredded newspapers for carbon, eggshells for calcium, and diatomaceous earth. The process, which took two years, unfolded in a heated barn under UV lights, a controlled yet dynamic environment that mirrors the unpredictability of natural habitats. Unlike her algorithmic-based works, which rely on precision, these columns embrace uncertainty, their growth patterns shaped by chance. Yi has anticipated all manner of disruptions, from bears tipping over the structures to the possibility of turtles and frogs joining the pond that cradles them.
Collaboration with Nature
Nora Lawrence, executive director of Storm King Art Center, highlighted the significance of Yi’s first outdoor installation. “She’s thinking about art that’s made beyond the visual, and art that can, in a lot of ways, continue to shape itself without that much continuity,” Lawrence explained. This collaboration with the natural environment is a pivotal shift for Yi, whose previous works often existed in controlled, gallery-like settings. By placing her art in the open, she invites the elements to play a role in its evolution, creating a dialogue between human intervention and natural processes.
The installation’s design also pays homage to the park’s historical context. Storm King, a site steeped in the legacy of landscape art, serves as a canvas for Yi’s exploration of deep time and deep history. The microbial life in her columns, which respond to light and heat, becomes a metaphor for the passage of time, existing in a state of flux that defies human timelines. This concept is central to her practice, which often questions our discomfort with the impermanent and the unseen. By making these microscopic systems visible, Yi challenges the boundaries of what we consider art, inviting viewers to engage with the invisible forces that shape our world.
Her work in the Venice Biennale, where visitors queued for the toilets, further illustrates this theme. The installations, which incorporate both technological and biological elements, prompt reflection on the symbiotic relationships between humans and their environments. Whether through the delicate movements of a jellyfish-like machine or the slow, organic growth of microbial colonies, Yi’s art captures the essence of ephemerality. Each piece is a temporary existence, a reminder that both life and art are transient, shaped by the conditions of their surroundings.
In her studio, Yi often contemplates the systems that underpin her creations. The remnants of past projects linger as evidence of her evolving practice, each one a fragment of a larger narrative. By blending the natural and the artificial, she crafts a universe where the boundaries between the two blur, creating a space for wonder and curiosity. Her work invites us to reconsider our place in a world where the micro and the macro coexist, and where the act of creation is as much about observation as it is about transformation. As she explains, “It’s a great way to encapsulate something about this deep history and deep time that Storm King stands on, and that goes so far beyond human time.”
Through these installations, Yi not only challenges our perceptions but also redefines the role of the artist as a collaborator with the forces of nature. Her art is a living testament to the possibilities of blending science, art, and time, offering a glimpse into a universe where the micro and macro, the seen and unseen, exist in harmony. As the columns in “Message from the Mud” continue to grow and change, they serve as a reminder that art, like life, is a process that unfolds over time, shaped by the elements and the people who engage with it.
