Earthlings Art Guild
Earthlings is an art guild, comprised out of three members Dauren, Daria and Laura. A collective of beings, that see the necessity of art, science and Indigenous knowledge co-existence. Through their academic and artistic work, they unite their knowledge of arts, biology and Indigenous-knowledge with an aim to combine their efforts in tackling topics, such as climate change, collaboration with more-than-human and restoration of soil and more.
Daria Testo is a Buryat-Mongolian (Hori Buryad) Indigenous curator and storyteller, deeply engaged in amplifying marginalised and more-than-human perspectives through her decolonial lens. Her practice is anchored in the preservation of both tangible and intangible heritage, where Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and Indigenous Knowledge serve as guidance. Reflecting upon the oral, and written knowledge of her ancestors, she brings into contemplation the notions of reciprocity, local cosmologies, such as folkloristics and myths and the value of kin-making.
Dauren is a multidisciplinary artist and scientist from the Argyn tribe of the Kazakh ethnicity. Originally from Kazakhstan, he is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Alberta, Canada, focusing on the preservation, restoration, and sustainable use of grasslands. In his scientific research, Dauren emphasizes minimizing the use of chemicals and waste, striving to develop sustainable practices that maximize resource efficiency.
Laura Elidedt Rodriguez (b. 1991, Michoacán, Mexico) is a multidisciplinary artist and scientist exploring the intersections of bioart, new media, and speculative design. With a background in Biotechnology Engineering, Molecular Biology, and Art and Science, her work blends scientific methods with artistic inquiry, focusing on the interconnectedness of life, technology, and humanity.
