In physics, the interaction of matter and antimatter results in mass conversion into pure energy — a process of mutual transformation at the smallest scale of existence. ‘Breath, Matter, Code’ draws on this principle, reimagining it as a continuous unfolding of dissolution, renewal, and interconnected becoming between the human, the non-human, and the technological.
Rooted in the philosophical currents of Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology of perception, Gilles Deleuze’s concept of becoming, and Donna Haraway’s theory of entangled life, the exhibition proposes becoming as a quiet folding of one form into another. Rather than offering fixed interpretations, Alien and Yumasheva present encounters — soft crossings, where distinct entities dissolve and reconfigure without clear resolution. These crossings invite reflection on the permeability of identity, body, and environment, and the unpredictable ecologies they form.
Through paintings, expanded media works, and material interventions, Alien and Yumasheva create spaces where lived experiences, emotions, and psychological states intermingle with broader ecological and technological systems. ‘Breath, Matter, Code’ resists narratives of collapse or separation; instead, it offers composting — a patient, ongoing transformation where new arrangements of matter, presence, and meaning quietly emerge.
Elen Alien is a London-based artist whose practice spans painting, digital art, sculpture, and herbaria. Rooted in psychoanalytic theory and philosophical inquiry, her work examines the porous boundaries between nature, technology, and human identity. Drawing on Actor-Network Theory and Object-Oriented Ontology, Chubar positions every entity — human, vegetal, technological — as interconnected within broader ecosystems of meaning. She holds an art degree from Folkuniversitetet in Stockholm, Sweden.
Elina Yumasheva is a visual artist whose practice moves between painting and beyond, morphing it through space, forms, mediums, techniques and the digital. Her works explore the symbiosis between environment, material, and artistic intention, embracing unpredictability and celebrating the agency of materials. Engaging with ecological consciousness, mythology, and symbolism, Yumasheva’s process navigates the subtle interplay between control and the natural agency of materials. She holds an MA in Contemporary Art Practice from the Royal College of Art.
Zoë Goetzmann is a London-based curator and arts writer focused on contemporary practice. Her writing has been published in Create! Magazine, Fetch London, and Cosimo Art. She holds an MA from the Sotheby’s Institute of Art and is also a graduate of the Condé Nast College of Fashion & Design in London. Goetzmann is the founder of The Artist Workspace (AWS) Gallery, a platform dedicated to supporting emerging and women-led artistic practices.
Not For Sale Gallery is an artist-run gallery for artists and true patrons, located in East London.
For any media enquiries, or to arrange a visit outside of public opening hours, please contact nfsjune2025@gmail.com.
Opening Hours:
Open to the public every Saturday: 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th of June and 5th of July, from 2 PM to 6 PM.
Visits outside these times are by appointment only.
Exhibition Address:
Not For Sale Gallery, 83 Smeed Rd, Bow, London E3 2NR
