Exhibitions

BIOFEEL: Art and Biology
Curated by Oron Catts

Presented by SymbioticA: the Art and Science Collaborative Research Laboratory in the School of Anatomy and Human Biology at the University of Western Australia in association with the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts as a part of the Biennale of Electronic Arts Perth 2002.

Exhibition Dates: 1-25 August 2002

“The art in BioFeel goes beyond the fantasy of the surrealist project. The artists are dealing with the actual wet palette of possibilities of life manipulation offered by biotechnology. Each artist, with humour and irony, critique the science facts and fictions of our brave new world”

BioFeel: Art and Biology was assisted by the Commonwealth Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body. The Exhibition and Conference was sponsored by the University of Western Australia, School of Anatomy and Human Biology UWA, Faculty of Science UWA, PICA, Curtin University, Australia Network for Art and Technology, Hotel Northbridge, Little Creatures, Coherent Scientific, Nikon Japan, CTEC, Jumbo Vision, Medic Vision, Plaza Cameras, DX Computers, SciTech Pty Ltd, Email Air Handling, The Daniel Langlois Foundation for Art, Science and Technology; and Square Peg.

In the inaugural BEAP2002, SymbioticA showcased a working laboratory to exhibit Tissue Culture and Art Project’s Pig Wings and Worry Dolls (AKA Tissue Culture & Art(ificial) Wombs). http://www.tca.uwa.edu.au

The SymbioticA Research Group (Australia) exhibited MEART - where rats' neurones automate a robotic arm to propose whether a semi-living cybernetic entity can be as creative and unpredictable as the mind of a living-being. http://www.fishandchips.uwa.edu.au

Amy Youngs'(USA) Rearming the Spineless Opuntia gave a manipulated spikeless cactus armour to protect it from humans. http://www.ylem.org/artists/ayoungs/

Marta de Menezes' (Portugal) used human chromosomes for Nucleart, explored making a protein after her own name in Protiec Portrait and MRI’s as new forms of portraiture for Functional Portrait. http://www.martademenezes.com

André Brodyk's (Australia) installation DNART utilised genetically modified bacteria in his drawings. Adam Zaretsky (USA) titillated in an interactive experiment exploring the effects of vocal vibration in MMMM... http://www.emutagen.com/

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