The Invisible Handjob of the New Economy

What is it if not the human aspect that renders hands so homely yet so cunning? Even though much has been said about the brain’s function standing behind the labour, some would agree it is the hand’s own kind of intelligence that orchestrates seemingly rudimentary type of actions. Engels famously claimed it is the labour that created the human, but if the hand is the main responsible behind the creation, then what is more human than the hand itself?

Time passed and the techne came to the rescue, to replace the unwanted burden of manual labour for some – robots, algorithms, AI and the rest designed to aptly simulate the hand movements rather than produce their own mechanical realm. The point is not to create an apology, nor to romanticise the so-human hand, but rather to try to surmise what is left to the hand in the age of the technological symbiosis?

With the context above Ayatgali Tuleubek have created a new piece to be unveiled during his solo show at Studio17 opening on Friday December 15th. His practice inquires into different instances defining our contemporaneity, so far revolving around notions of technology, power, ideology, land and locality. His recent group shows include “Oslo Museum of Contemporary Art” at Kunsthall Oslo, “Internal storage – Not Enough Space?” in Garage Museum of Contemporary Art, Moscow and “Participation Effect” at Stieglitz Museum, Saint Petersburg.

The exhibition is supported by Arts Council Norway.