Sasha Fishman '24, an alum and adjunct assistant professor at Columbia, presents her solo exhibition 'Shad Mode' at ILY2 Gallery in Portland, Oregon. The show, which culminates her summer residency at ILY2, features sculptures made from materials like egg yolk-tanned sturgeon skin, ceramics, and lamprey teeth, exploring the relationships between fish, their ecosystems, and human intervention. Works such as 'Immortal by Wifi' and 'Each Time You Bathe Me' blend natural and synthetic elements, while a fish cannon encircles the gallery to highlight modern technologies used to transport fish over dams.
The exhibition matters because it addresses urgent ecological questions about how humans direct species evolution and how species exist beyond themselves. By engaging with the Army Corps-run Bonneville Lock and Dam and tribal hatcheries of the Yakama Nation, Fishman connects contemporary art practice with Indigenous knowledge and environmental advocacy. The show underscores the role of artists in mediating complex conversations about conservation, restoration, and the paradoxical necessity of human intervention in natural systems.