By allowing ourselves to explore the delicate interplay between presence and precarity, we can attune to the cycles of nature and feel the texture of the ghostly fabric that sways between realms. Presence challenges us to confront that from which we would rather turn away and reevaluate the connections that define us.

Present Tension brings together the work of Amira Pualwan, Emily Stroud, Isa Dray, Kayla Cantu, Morgan Thomas Shankweiler, Olivia Fredricks, Paige Morris, and Rebecca Ledbetter, curated through AUTOMAT Collective’s Annual Open Call. Their work reflects on the fragility and complexity of our times, and the quest for presence in the face of discomfort.