In extreme environments, our proximity to danger immediately reveals itself. The inescapable heat of a desert or cold of a tundra instantly begins chewing away at the fragility of our human form. These are the zones where Lita Albuquerque works. Beginning in the 70s, her practice started with the earth and eventually led to the cosmos and the space in between. Similar to the way an electron microscope allows us a glimpse of the atomic world or in the way the James Webb telescope offers us a view of the ancient cosmos, an examination of perception and perspective radiates through Albuquerque’s work. It is not a surprise that her work frequently is a result of collaborative efforts with scientists and labs such as those at CalTech and the Jet Propulsion Lab. For the 2024 edition of Getty’s PST ARTinitiative, Albuquerque takes over Michael Kohn Gallery’s space with an installation titled, Earth Skin. A thin layer of decomposed granite fills the space creating an illusory sensation where it appears like the concrete has been surgically peeled off and the earth below has been revealed, creating a sensation of depth and weight, and a reorganization of our point of view. Artists and scientists simultaneously rely on the suspension of what is considered fact and an improvisational spirit to advance new and innovative philosophies and instruments. Galileo’s observations of the night sky radically shifted our perspective of where we fit in the cosmological order and for this he sacrificed his freedom. Albuquerque’s Earth Skin provides the viewer with a space to reflect on the spaces both within and around to recalibrate what it means to be human in 2024.