Joey Holder - æquator
æquator is the first art acquisition by Shoreditch Arts Club. Meaning 'to make equal' in Latin, it is the artist’s intention that the work “encourages us to rethink our relationship to all living beings above and below us.”
Joey Holder, æquator, 2022. Image © Beth Davis
The imposing two-by-five-meter sculpture, in its placement behind the bar area, also evokes questions of balance as to what we put in our own bodies. Instead of where a typical back bar would be, aequator replaces what would be a range of bottled alcohol and glasses, with driftwood, a 3D printed object and silicone sculptures.
The sculpture forms a grid of aquariums and terrariums, emblematic of the division of the earth by meridians and parallels. In the centre of the work is a gold celestial object evoking a holy sun.. The sun and curiosities within the tanks, modelled after insect and snake genitalia, challenge our notions of understanding and control over microscopic worlds within the macro solar system.
By enlarging and objectifying the previously unseen and placing these objects within a contrastingly large framework that itself represents an even greater scale, new perspectives are offered. In its totality, aequator “proposes a vision of the future where categorical thinking does not exist” a picture of interconnectedness.
Joey Holder uses the languages of cinema and its modes of set design to create environments that tell her conceptual narratives aided by collaboration with a range of experts. Computational geneticists, marine biologists, behavioural psychologists and investigative journalists have helped inform artworks that address themes including future farming, synthetic biology and deep-sea ecosystems.
Holder has exhibited widely in the UK and internationally including the Harvard Museum of Natural History, Athens Biennale, Design Museum, Moscow Biennale, Transmediale and Venice Biennale. Her artwork is fuelled by continued dialogue and collaborations with researchers and practitioners from varied fields.
Joey Holder was born in London and lives and works in Helsinki. She is represented by Seventeen, which is located in East London.
Joey Holder, detail of Khthon, 2023 at Shoreditch Arts Club. Image © Beth Davis