NEWS
Yvonne Jones
Part Two - Outbound - KUNST DEPOT VENEZIA, Venice. (3 -13 Sept 2026, during the 61st Venice Biennale) at Cannaregio 5415, Rio tera dei Biri - Campiello Widmann, 30121 Venice, Italy.
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JUST IT
The challenge of inhabiting an ageing body while witnessing the inevitable cycles of seasonal change continues to inform my work. My art has always been connected to my own existence: the whole unit of body, mind and emotion.
Over the years I have undergone many medical procedures, several of which have been documented with the generous support of medical professionals. These works reveal an ongoing process of inquiry. Initially, the physical and corporeal body was my primary concern, prompting investigations of interior and exterior, containment and permeability. I explored boundaries and sought ways to loosen them: inner to outer, one to other.
Confronting the possibility of annihilation, after previously feeling invincible, brought renewed attention to the whole unit. Alongside the body, I have incorporated dreams and imagination into my practice. I have also explored ideas through my involvement with Foreign Objekt, a posthumanist research group based in the United States.
While aware of the broad field of posthuman possibilities—and recognising that my position continues to evolve through new knowledge and understanding—I currently describe myself as a “Now-Human”, exploring the notion of a centre, if such a thing exists.
By referring to myself as a “Now-Human”, I am re-examining and updating the term “Human”, a category that has historically been contested and unequally applied. Across different periods and cultures, groups of people have been excluded from full recognition within dominant definitions of the human. While I am interested in the evolving ideas of posthumanism, I do not consider myself posthuman, despite medical interventions, prosthetic additions and surgical alterations. As a Now-Human, I embrace new technologies while maintaining a commitment to the equality and interconnectedness of all who inhabit our Earth. Living in the New Forest provides a continual and joyful reminder of this relationship. I use me as site.
Inside a pearl of million layered brilliant faces
Stands one tiny grain of unexceptional grit
It does not shine, it does not glitter
It lies there naked unencumbered
In all its marvellous glory
Of nothing else
Just
It
.
Part One - Forest Bounds - spudWORKS (April 2026)
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