Anthroposcenes

Explorations of the Anthropocene disengagement and the Pleistocene engagement

Kinez Riza presents a continuous body of work in collaboration with Natural History institutions and scientists, particularly in the field of Archaeology. The Anthroposcenes series, etymologically referring to ‘anthropo’ meaning human, ‘cene’ meaning new, and ’(s)cene’ as representation, attempts to represent an innate and intimate quest in search of Origin.

It is a monument to the tension between human effects and nature’s systems through what Kinez Riza provides as constructed narratives, suggesting juxtapositions between two representations of reality. ‘The Anthropocene disengagement and the Pleistocene engagement’ is a term Kinez Riza applies to convey the context of Anthroposcenes.

Screen Shot 2014 10 11 At 4 36 25 Pm — Pleistocene Lion, Horse and Mammoth (2014) replicas courtesy of Dr. Chris Stringer, Research Leader in Human Origins, Natural History Museum London

Anthro 1 — Pleistocene Lion, Horse and Mammoth (2014) replicas courtesy of Dr. Chris Stringer, Research Leader in Human Origins, Natural History Museum London

Anthro 2 — Pleistocene Lion, Horse and Mammoth (2014) replicas courtesy of Dr. Chris Stringer, Research Leader in Human Origins, Natural History Museum London

Edens explores the implications of myths, symbology and iconology in ‘primitive’ worldviews. Following Claude Levi-Strauss’ claims in ‘Myth and Meaning’, the narratives attempt to portray the use of myths and legends as effective lines of discourse in understanding knowledge. As much as it references myths and legends of a more ‘primitive’ society, the nature of such storytelling is a repetitive human trait that exists to this day. Kinez Riza attempts to convey visual representations of myths and legends in constructed narratives, highlighting the tension between fantasy and reality. Growing tensions between the artist’s rationale and intuition is portrayed in the identifiable presence of the artist as the observer whose perception has an effect on the subject of her investigation. In identifying myths and legends from various places, she has unknowingly implemented in her own narrative structures and her sense of self as she strives to understand the correlations between each myths, this is symbolized through the deer and the moth that makes appearances through the series.