Primary Fission

Primary Fission (2015-2020) is a body of works that reflects Meres's interest in systems of representations and in the formal conventions used to convey objectivity through images and exhibition displays. Departing from an ongoing concern with the structures used to establish which human characteristics and behaviors are considered "natural", the works in the series explore aspects of nature that have often intrigued specialists, such as the asexual reproduction of hermaphroditic flatworms or the polyammorous sexuality of sea stars. By focusing on unusual aspects of nature, Meres further elaborates previous works on representations of difference and queerness and offers a meditation on the mechanisms that are used to define certain human behaviors as unnatural or unhealthy.

Meres worked with electrical engineers at Columbia University to produce the images in the series through a highly-accurate microscope that is widely used in scientific publications. The microscope deploys electrons, instead of photons, as sources of information, therefore producing images without the use of light. Drawing from traditions of scientific imagery and geometrical abstraction in art history, the works in Primary Fission explore the formal conventions used to reflect authority in representations deemed to be impartial and highlight the inherently constructed nature of realist images.