Internal Memo: Interspecies Library
Oscar Salguero has been navigating his way into the Interspecies art scene ever since he first saw the term pop up in 2014. He was rifling through stacks of obscurities in a New York City bookstore when he stumbled across the phrase being used by artists to describe their work. Since this pivotal moment, Salguero has been amassing a collection of interspecies work, aptly named “The Interspecies Library.” The pseudo-library is best explained as a series of wonderfully bizarre items spanning several bookcases in his Gowanus apartment. It has made a name for itself as the premier collection of Interspecies art. What began as a mere fascination became the spring 2021 exhibition “Interspecies Futures [IF]” at the nonprofit Center for Book Art in Chelsea.
GBA recently had the opportunity to visit Salguero and get the inside scoop on what qualifies as Interspecies art. According to Salguero, for art to be interspecies, it must be against anthropocentrism, the belief that humans are at the epicenter of the universe. Earth and The Milky Way existed long before us and will continue to exist long after us, so we need to get over ourselves. Interspecies art blends humans' primal traits, the Four Fs (fighting, feeding, fleeing, and fucking), with the experiences of other earthly lifeforms.
GBA is thrilled to be part of the Interspecies Library, with our Honey Fungus poster (designed by Luna Alatorre) as a recent addition. Released as GBA’s summer drop, Honey Fungus features a collection of AI-generated fungal specimens designed by artist duo Sue Huang and Jonah King. The specimens combine human sexuality with mycelium fungus, conflating the boundaries that separate the identities of man and mushroom. Our collaboration with Honey Fungus is a prime example of the relevance and limitless potential of Interspecies art and a demonstration of creating new marketplaces for creatives with outsider themes in their work.
We applaud our new friend Salguero and his Interspecies Library! The archive is an oasis of obscure and eternally captivating rarities that one literally cannot find elsewhere.