Tuesday, May 19, 2026

This month’s newsletter explores evolving ideas of life across art, astrobiology, and speculative futures. We are excited to announce the six nominees for the inaugural Speculative Life BioArt residency, a new initiative examining questions surrounding genetics, identity, bioengineering, and the infrastructures that sustain life itself. These themes also resonate in Xin Liu’s newly unveiled work at the 61st Venice Biennale, where dissolving sculptural forms made from woven post-consumer plastics imagine speculative ecologies shaped by microbial transformation. Across exhibitions, workshops, and publications, SETI AIR artists continue to challenge how we define life and our relationship to planetary systems.

Clear skies,
Bettina

Announcing the Nominees for the Speculative Life BioArt Residency

The SETI Institute’s Artist in Residence (AIR) program announced six nominees for Speculative Life, a new BioArt residency exploring one of humanity’s most intriguing questions: What is the origin and nature of life? Situated at the intersection of art, astrobiology, and emerging biotechnologies, this two-year, $30,000 research-creation residency invites artists to engage with scientific study while examining the ethical, cultural, and philosophical dimensions of life as both a biological and conceptual phenomenon.

An interdisciplinary advisory team selected six internationally recognized artists as nominees for the inaugural residency. Each nominee has been invited to develop a project proposal in response to the residency’s focus.

The six nominees of the Speculative Life BioArt residency are:

Amy Karle
USA

Eduardo Kac
Brasil / USA

Dorotea Dolinšek
Slovenia

Joel Ong
Singapore / Canada

Liquifer / Barbara Imhof
Germany / Austria

Marta de Menezes
Portugal

Read more about the residency here.

SETI AIR Artist News & Events

Xin Liu

The Aural Sea

61st Venice Biennale
Uzbekistan National Pavilion

9 May – 22 November 2026

Learn More

Laurent Grasso

Take Two: Ori Gersht, Laurent Grasso, Dawn Ng, Erin O'Keefe

De León, Bath, UK

May 11 - June 20, 2026

Learn More

daniela brill estrada

Begriff eines Körpers

In the exhibition Curious Universe: Cosmic Titans
Jodrell Bank, Manchester, UK

May 1 - September 20, 2026

Learn More

Jonathon Keats

Bestiaries of the More-than-Humane

Workshop at Local Economy, Oakland, CA, USA

May 13, 2026

Learn More

Jonathon Keats

A Field Guide to More-Than-Human Governance

Berggruen Press

Get Book

Brittany Nelson

Brittany Nelson - MIT List Visual Arts Center

Review by Harmon Siegel in Artforum

Learn more

Daniela de Paulis

Advancing the Search for Technosignatures

Presented at IAU Symposium 404

Video recording from the conference

View Video

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