Maya Staendeke

The installation 'Earthen Kin' is inspired by the artists heritage of the Khasi tribe (Meghalaya, India), where ancient monoliths act as both sacred remnants of ancestral worship and geological kin. Many folklores are rich with tales of stone and earth. These kinetic sculptures bring attention to stones as dynamic, interactive entities. Let these sculptures guide you towards a deeper connection with the living matter of the geological realm.

lithic meikha is exploring the reality, agency, and “private lives” of nonhuman (and nonliving) entities such as stones, and more specifically monoliths.

In Khasi culture monoliths can be found all over the region of Meghalaya and one can see them lying unnoticed and un-cared for along the remote stretches. These mysterious, ancient monuments act as ancestral worship and geological kins.