Week 6: BioTech + Art

Since I have always considered biotechnology to be a field related to medicine and healthcare, the topic of using biotechnology as an art from to raise questions about living organisms, ethics, and the meaning of art itself has been very intriguing for me. 

My initial reaction upon learning of various artists' ventures into art using biotechnology was concern about the morality of such artwork, which I've come to find is a topic that has been widely debated. Professor Vesna mentioned that art such as Eduardo Kac's flourescent bunny, Alba, has been deemed "needless and abusive" and not considered to be art (Vesna, Lecture Part 1). This, to me, poses the question of whether or not it is valid for artists to treat animals as test subjects or use them as vessels in creating art when it alters the natural chemistry of their bodies. 


As such, bioart often involves the use of living organisms that may be harmed or killed in the process of creating the artwork and raises questions about the potential consequences of altering biological systems (Vaage). Perhaps such a line is blurred when it comes to scientists using animals to test treatments that could potentially save thousands of lives, but when it comes to an art piece, it seems a bit unnecessary or cruel to subject them to such treatment.

However, despite its ethical concerns, I do believe that bioart can prove to be useful in helping us expand our understanding of what it means to be alive. For example, Kac's work challenges the notion of what it means to be alive by blurring the line between organism and machine; further, Artist Amy Youngs uses living organisms such as plants and insects in her artwork, challenging traditional notions of the boundary between living and non-living systems (Levy). The French artist Orlan also does this in a different way, using en vitro skin cells of different colors and races to create a coat that raises questions about the existence of self-ownership on a fragmented level by making something that isn't alive out of fragments that are alive (Vesna, Lecture Part 4).

I have also come to realize that bioart can be useful in progressing humanity forward through technological advancements. For example, it has the potential to address pressing global challenges such as climate change and food security; some artists are using biotechnology to create new forms of sustainable agriculture, such as vertical farms and hydroponic systems (Delgado).




Works Cited

Vesna, Victoria. "Biotech+Art: Lecture Part 1". DESMA 9, University of California, Los Angeles.

Vaage, Nora S. “What Ethics for Bioart?” NanoEthics, vol. 10, no. 1, 2016, pp. 87–104, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11569-016-0253-6. 

Levy, Ellen K. "Defining Life: Artists Challenge Conventional Classifications." 12 May 2023.

Vesna, Victoria. "Biotech+Art: Lecture Part 4". DESMA 9, University of California, Los Angeles.

Delgado, Rick. “How Artists Are Blending Biotechnology and Art.” MUO, 8 May 2015, www.makeuseof.com/tag/artists-blending-biotechnology-art/.


Images Cited

Young, Emma. “Mutant Bunny.” New Scientist, 22 Sept. 2000, www.newscientist.com/article/dn16-mutant-bunny/. 

“Harlequin Coat (2008).” FACT, www.fact.co.uk/artwork/harlequin-coat-2008. Accessed 12 May 2023.

Delgado, Rick. “How Artists Are Blending Biotechnology and Art.” MUO, 8 May 2015, www.makeuseof.com/tag/artists-blending-biotechnology-art/.




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