A disassembler is a reverse engineer tool, a computer program that translates machine language (code) into assembly language for humans to understand. Drawing from Maria Antelman’s eponymous video installation, Disassembler juxtaposes technical instructions for Amazon’s newly engineered wristband—designed to control and monitor every movement of the worker’s hand to optimize performance—with experiential depictions drawn from the organic world. In doing so, the artist raises questions about the physical and psychological impact that the automated industry exerts on the human body and society.

Maria Antelman (b. 1971, Athens, Greece) is a video artist based in New York. She studied Art History at the Complutense University in Madrid and holds an MFA from Columbia University. Her work has been shown in recent exhibitions at Daata Editions; Marinaro Gallery, New York, NY; Videonale, Bonn, Germany; and Apex Art, New York, NY; The Agency, London, UK; and Melanie Flood Projects, Portland, Oregon. She has been awarded grants from the J.F. Costopoulos Foundation and residencies at ISCP and Pioneer Works, both in New York. Her work has been featured and reviewed in Art in America, Art Papers, Flash Art, zingmagazine, and artforum.com.

Maria Antelman: Disassembler is produced by the Onassis Foundation USA.