Born in Chicago in 2007, the Henbane Collective grew organically out of a post-graduate critique group when we began to notice shared themes arising repeatedly. Henbane, a potent psychotropic herb associated with magic, transformation, and women’s witchery, is a metaphor for the art we make. The herb can be fatal, but, in the right hands, has the power to blur boundaries, redefine the self and change our perception of reality.
The unifying energy of the group revolves around the presence of recurring dualities. For each of us, these manifestations are different, but what unites us is our pursuit of hybridity. In this sense, We, the artists of Henbane, put forth ways to view the external world that welcome the dissolution of fixed identity --- as a means to extend respect and understanding outwards from a self-core unafraid to fluidify it’s boundaries.
We support and assist each other in the creation of individual and collaborative projects while maintaining a critical core centered on the idea of the feminine sublime. Unlike the traditional Sublime, the Feminine Sublime describes a more egalitarian mode of being, and puts forth a holistic sustainable worldview, in which the "other" is respected for its differences, rather than being seen as something to be owned or conquered.
The unifying energy of the group revolves around the presence of recurring dualities. For each of us, these manifestations are different, but what unites us is our pursuit of hybridity. In this sense, We, the artists of Henbane, put forth ways to view the external world that welcome the dissolution of fixed identity --- as a means to extend respect and understanding outwards from a self-core unafraid to fluidify it’s boundaries.
We support and assist each other in the creation of individual and collaborative projects while maintaining a critical core centered on the idea of the feminine sublime. Unlike the traditional Sublime, the Feminine Sublime describes a more egalitarian mode of being, and puts forth a holistic sustainable worldview, in which the "other" is respected for its differences, rather than being seen as something to be owned or conquered.
