I am a researcher and writer in contemporary art theory within the posthumanities, and an independent curator originally from Istanbul and now based in Perth, Western Australia. My early career was shaped by active engagement in Istanbul’s dynamic art scene, where I contributed to Istanbul Art News and collaborated with PASAJist, a leading artist initiative known for its socially engaged, site-specific projects and commitment to connecting art with local communities. Through these experiences, including curating exhibitions such as ‘Places That Were Never Yours’, I developed a practice rooted in collaboration, experimentation, and critical inquiry.
Before my current research, my university thesis focused on deconstructing carnophallogocentric structures in contemporary art and imagining posthumanist futures through artistic production. Drawing from queer theory and animal studies, I examined how intergender narratives, species boundaries, and corporeality are addressed in contemporary artworks. I challenged conventional understandings of subjectivity and questioning which lives are considered worthy of representation. This stage of my research was essential for understanding how art can disrupt societal norms and offer new ethical frameworks.
Today, my research centres on feminist new materialism and posthumanist philosophy. I investigate how contemporary art challenges inherited binaries, expands agency beyond the human, and reimagines ethics, identity, and belonging. My work explores how meaning emerges from the entanglement of bodies, materials, and environments. I see art writing as a creative and ethical practice that participates in making meaning.
The aim is to create spaces where complexity is honoured, agency is distributed, and new possibilities for justice, creativity, and multispecies flourishing can emerge.
Asya Asyali 