“The Imagination Has a Life of Its Own”: Interview with Shoshanah Dubiner

Abstract

We interviewed Shoshanah Dubiner (1943), a designer, artist, and educator, about her life, work, and interest in biology. In Turkey, Dubiner is well-known for “Endosymbiosis: Homage to Lynn Margulis,” a piece of art that appears in Donna Haraway’s work Staying with the Trouble. We wanted to emphasize in the conversation the artist’s distinct perspective on art, which uses vivid colors and dynamic patterns to portray a vitality that is not limited to human beings. In her biologically inspired works, Dubiner proposes a conception of the body that goes beyond outward features. Her aesthetic understanding of cells, bacteria, molecules, enzymes, and other units and structures found in living things helps us navigate the non-human-centered paths of the world we currently live in. Her pieces, which go beyond the theory of correspondence and art as imitation, consist of a dance of dynamic metaphorical lines formed by intertwined-changing forms. Her art focuses our attention on becoming, co-breathing, and co-existing. She enables us to surrender ourselves to the forces that weave life together in this way.