Slovenian Bio-Art, New Materialism and Posthuman Feminism

Abstract

This study explores Slovenian bio-art through the lens of new materialism and feminist posthumanism, focusing on six prominent artists: Saša Spačal, Robertina Šebjanič, Špela Petrič, Doroteja Dolinšek, Zoran Srdič Janežič, and Maja Smrekar. Their work interrogates interspecies relationships, ecological entanglements, and technological mediation, offering critical insights into contemporary bio-media practices. Positioned within a robust institutional framework of long-standing associations and a national funding scheme, these artists have achieved international recognition while contributing significantly to the development of intermedia art globally. Exemplified by a selected artwork each, their artistic practices are situated within new materialist, media ecological and posthuman feminist theoretical discourses. The paper highlights how contemporary bio-artistic practices challenge anthropocentric narratives, foster multispecies ethics, and redefine both uman and non-human agency. The particular ecosystem of the globally entangled yet in some ways also specifically Slovenian bio-art may demonstrate how artistic practices can facilitate ecological awareness and technological critique while fostering alternative modes of knowing, and eventually contribute to positioning art as a transformative force in contemporary cultural discourse.This study explores Slovenian bio-art through the lens of new materialism and feminist posthumanism, focusing on six prominent artists: Saša Spačal, Robertina Šebjanič, Špela Petrič, Doroteja Dolinšek, Zoran Srdič Janežič, and Maja Smrekar. Their work interrogates interspecies relationships, ecological entanglements, and technological mediation, offering critical insights into contemporary bio-media practices. Positioned within a robust institutional framework of long-standing associations and a national funding scheme, these artists have achieved international recognition while contributing significantly to the development of intermedia art globally. Exemplified by a selected artwork each, their artistic practices are situated within new materialist, media ecological and posthuman feminist theoretical discourses. The paper highlights how contemporary bio-artistic practices challenge anthropocentric narratives, foster multispecies ethics, and redefine both uman and non-human agency. The particular ecosystem of the globally entangled yet in some ways also specifically Slovenian bio-art may demonstrate how artistic practices can facilitate ecological awareness and technological critique while fostering alternative modes of knowing, and eventually contribute to positioning art as a transformative force in contemporary cultural discourse