It They She, 2022, and It They He, 2022, by Hady Sy are part of his latest body of work titled It’s a Numbers Game, 2024, across which he exposes the pervasive dehumanization stemming from political, economic, and technological factors across the globe, as seen through the inhuman frame of numbers. The binary code in the background is translated to the following text by Marie Tomb:
"I translated Hady Sy's exhibition title in binary code so it becomes universally understandable. This I think shows that mankind ultimately understands numbers better than language. But does that mean the digital (r)evolution denies our humanity? Perhaps in a way it's a double edged sword that can promote communication, if not togetherness. But for now, it's a numbers game. Time to let anthropomorphic digits comment on mankind's cruelty and greed."
It They She, 2022, and It They He, 2022, show a female and male reproductive system respectively, created from binary code. The penis alone symbolizes, according to the artist, “the simplistic and misguided nature of men’s thinking,”; however, the inclusion of the ovary and uterus transforms the work into a commentary about moving away from binary, black or white thinking and instead “embracing complexity, particularly in gender dynamics.” In comparison, It They He, 2022, with its bold depiction of male genitalia, reflects the more limited and simplistic male mentality, particularly one that is driven solely by base instinct.
Binary code’s beauty is in its simplicity, ones and zeros; however, narrowing down the entirety of life, with all its complexity, down to these two numbers strips it of its meaning. The code in the background asks whether “the digital revolution denies our humanity?” These two works challenge this possibility by foregrounding the notion of gender as an avenue which explores different facets of our humanity. Simultaneously, the artworks are critiquing a specific, often male, mentality, that only understands the world through a singular lens. In contrast, there is a celebration of the more expansive perspective, usually seen as the avenue of female perception, that accepts how connected and intricate the world is.