PARADISE NOW

The artworks shown in Paradise Now were of the moment – that is, innovative in content or rendering – and included both seminal works that have become benchmarks in the field as well as new work that was exhibited for the first time. Media encompassed installation and mixed-media works, interactive and on-line projects, photographs, painting and sculpture. Paradise Now was divided into two sections. The first featured work that addressed research into the nature of the human genome; and the second included works exploring the implications of biotechnology on animal and plant life.

The artworks addressed a number of major issues, including: Race – The implications of genetic research confirming that humans of all races are 99.9 percent genetically the same; Economics – Ownership of genes and whether they should be patented and sold to the highest bidder; Reproduction – Germ-line gene therapy and how it could be used to design babies and/or improve the health of human beings before they are born; Privacy – DNA identification and who has access to the information; Health – How gene therapy and new technologies will be used to prevent and treat disease; Food Safety – Risks and benefits of genetically engineered food crops and animals.

A selection of scientific artifacts were displayed alongside works of art to give the public a better grasp of the scientific research and its meaning, including: Dr. James D. Watson’s 1953 painted metal and wire model of a DNA molecule; a gene chip the size of a postage stamp; a sampling of a vast paper printout of the human genome; pop-culture ephemera as science fiction and cartoon imagery.

Curators Marvin Heiferman and Carole Kismaric

Pressetext

PARADISE NOW
Picturing the Genetic Revolution
Kuratoren: Marvin Heiferman, Carole Kismaric

mit Heather Ackroyd / Dan Harvey, Suzanne Anker, Dennis Ashbaugh, Aziz & Cucher, Brandon Ballengee, Christine Borland, Nancy Burson, Helen Chadwick, Kevin Clarke, Keith Cottingham, Bryan Crockett, Hans Danuser, Christine Davis, Mark Dion, George Gessert, Rebecca Howland, Natalie Jeremijenko, Ronald Jones, Eduardo Kac, David Kremers, Jane Lackey, Julian LaVerdiere, Inigo Manglano-Ovalle, Karl S. Mihail , Tran T. Kim-Trang, Steve Miller, Larry Miller, Frank Moore, Alexis Rockman, Bradley Rubenstein, Nicolas Rule, Christy Rupp, Gary Schneider, Laura Stein, Eva Sutton, Catherine Wagner, Carrie Mae Weems, Gail Wight, Janet Zweig