For Protoself, Kristen Sanders asks the question: Where does the self-start or end, and are the traces/fragments left behind a part of self? Bringing together imagery such as marks left in fossils and bodies formed by medical mannequin skins, Sander’s uncanny paintings flatten time and explore the negative space between the physical body and one's environment where the self is formed. 

As the show’s title suggests, Sanders points her inquiry into the crux of what makes us human; imagining a moment of first consciousness of a hypothetical early human ancestor. Since 2015 her work has been circling between the extreme past of hominids millions of years ago – and the increasingly closer future of robots with super-human powers and artificial intelligence. Sanders’ fascination lies within the threshold of self-invention, distinguishing the human from both the animal and the animatronic. In considering the former, her work posits that behavioral aspects such as making a mark, or the first non-utilitarian artwork, should be valorized before corporeal evolution. By considering these defining moments for the pre-human, we can then reframe the post-human, negotiating our current unease with AI and its possible outpacing of the human body – arriving at a post-body consciousness.

Protoself is on view through July 8 at Asya Geisberg Gallery, 537B West 23rd Street, New York, NY 10011