An Adaptive Moment, 2021
Nicole Banowetz (Denver, United States)
A strange specimen is proliferating wildly on the surface of Bassin Louise. The inflatable installation represents and magnifies the anatomical details of rotifers, microscopic creatures with fascinating biological adaptations. When they sense predators, rotifers dry out so they can be swept to safety by the wind. And as they travel, they absorb the DNA of nearby species and recombine it with their own, ensuring the survival of the species while scattering their own DNA.
Nicole Banowetz has endowed her larger-than-life version of the microscopic rotifer with a stature befitting its evolutionary prowess for genetic absorption and organic metamorphosis. Though diminutive, these surreally shaped creatures are anything but vulnerable and have much to teach us about adaptability and resilience in the face of adversity.
Nicole Banowetz lives and works in Denver, Colorado, where her art practice includes sculpture, design, installation, and education. She holds a BFA in sculpture from Colorado State University and has exhibited at North American institutions including the Biennial of the Americas, the Museum of Outdoor Arts, and the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities. Internationally, she has completed residencies at the Baltic Gallery of Contemporary Art in Ustka (Poland), GlogauAIR and Institut für Alles Mögliche in Berlin, and Moscow’s National Centre for Contemporary Arts.
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