medina zabo (b.arezzo,it, nd) is a transdisciplinary sculptor based in london and tuscany. central to their approach are dynamics of metamorphosis and interbeing, as a sociological metaphor of mutual adaptation in more-than-human habitats. a process-based practice metabolizes a multifaceted language that draws strength from co-labouring across diverse realms. much of zabo’s work stems from a first-hand experience of a six months cohabitation in 2013 with a honeybee colony swarmed into the house and an early career on investigative journalism.
andreco _”parata della fine – the end of anthropocene era”, curated giada pellicari, contemporary art center luigi pecci, prato, february *17, performer
eliza soroga _re-enactment of “women in agony”, arsenale of venice, march *17, performer
aram bartholl _wannacry (weeping angels), 57th venice biennale, hyper pavilion, curated philippe riss-schmidt, produced by fabulous inc. may-september *17 performer
fondazione progetti beverly pepper _ (january 2017) (november 2018) art residencies – opera pr1ma off/beverly featuring accademia di belle arti pietro vannucci – beverly pepper tra todi e il mondo curated massimo mattioli, sponsored by beverly pepper foundation
private collections_ (rotterdam, NL)(florence, IT)(rome, IT)
public collections_ (procura della repubblica, palazzo martorelli orsini, spoleto, IT_curated accademia di belle arti di perugia) (mabos, museo d’arte del bosco della sila, catanzaro, IT)
how do our cyborg-like habits reinvent the nature and process of metamorphosis?
these questions emerged in 2013 when I found myself under the same roof with a family of honeybees. they suddenly swarmed indoors and settled in. The first of many such visits, since then. That milestone experience gradually intertwined with the research on habitats and social learning from the journalistic career which I had recently quit. Further development has thus expanded into a process of metamorphosis that I have been unwittingly involved in, through non-human encounters and dedicated studies,
to me, practicing art means being committed to foregrounding “unresolvable” positions, much like chasing the acknowledgement by staring at a hive in progress, like an ephemeral – goethean phenomenon though. whether fostering intimate knowledge throughout the materiality or facilitating the endless process of life and death in organic matter previously disturbed, my approach aims to provide recovery after disruption or collapse.
the methods of the creative process are shaped by labour-intensive manipulation of a special waste from apiculture, considered unproductive due to moth infestation. its organoleptic specificity comes actually from interspecies cooperation over the years including multilayered human interventions, as well as artistic techniques. extra organic encounters eventually gather onto artifacts at all levels, past a certain degree of control, interfering with our gaze. the unpredictability of the ultimate design eventually embodies organisms’ purposes, regardless of being ecological or artificial creatures.