Poetics of Inquiry: How to Stay with Trouble is a behavioral-based solo exhibition by artist Ishraki Kazi. Activated by a series of durational performances, the show is set as a tentacular experiment on the inquiries of how our knowledge system may be limited and how we can relate with others. Audiences will be invited to sign up for one-on-one sessions to explore different ‘chapters’ with the artist, engaging with various scenarios that ignite dialogues and interactions with multi-others from human to animal and microbial entities.

The show questions the reductionist approaches to science as well as binary divisions between mind and body, subject and object, self and other, and wishes to raise awareness of how we are fundamentally entangled with other beings, both human and non-human.

Through immersive interactions and meditative threads, Ishraki encourages audiences to engage, not escape, the trouble and challenging issues of our time while re-imagining a holistic land of kin-making embedded with empathy and care. 

Curated by Chiarina Chen

Made possible with generous support from the Council of the Arts at MIT (CAMIT) and additional funding from the MIT Program in Art, Culture, and Technology (ACT).