Maria Hinel Curates Animal Agency Exhibition at Hypha Studios, Inspired by Tokarczuk and Blake

From March 12 to April 18, 2026, Hypha Studios in London presents 'Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead,' curated by Maria Hinel. The exhibition features works by Francis Alÿs, Sara Anstis, Odonchimeg Davaadorj, Susan Eyre, Andy Holden, Jochen Lempert, Kat Lyons, Anne Marie Maes, Tiziana Pers, Amalia Pica & Rafael Ortega, and Bryndìs Snæbjörnsdóttir & Mark Wilson. Drawing inspiration from Olga Tokarczuk's novel of the same title and William Blake's 'Proverbs of Hell,' the show examines animal sentience, resistance, and human ethical failures. It challenges the cultural perception of animals as passive victims, instead presenting them as beings capable of communication, organization, and retaliation. The exhibition explores how animal resistance is often marginalized in public discourse, while considering the routes through which humans identify with animal suffering. Tokarczuk's novel, narrated by animal rights advocate Janina Duszejko, provides the intellectual core, with its narrative of animals exacting revenge on hunters. The works avoid sentimentality or reducing animals to metaphor, focusing instead on their agency and presence. Located at 1 Poultry, London EC2R 8EJ in Gallery One, the exhibition moves beyond allegory to engage with Blake's language of justice and the political dimensions of animal rights within broader social justice frameworks.