What do biological entities like DNA, chromosomes, and genes have to do with art? Anker began her talk by discussing the cultural significance that the "genetic discourse" has due to the profound effects it will have on our future. As James Watson, one of the scientists who discovered the helical structure of DNA in 1953, once said, DNA is the "most golden of molecules." Its importance to human life is huge, while its malleability and plasticity makes it a great resource for biotechnology.
As a subject for art, DNA and genetic information can be seen in many metaphorical lights – as a record of human history, a unique fingerprint, personal property, a deed to one's body. The genetic revolution has people reevaluating what it means to be human. Also, with our understanding of how genetic code works, the human body can be reduced to its most simple microscopic elements and to a code-script of letters. Anker drew a comparison between karyotype charts, which depict the lengths and shapes of chromosomes, to ancient sign notation and petroglyphs, saying that the genetic revolution has brought new iconography to our culture. Much of her art actually explores the similarities of karyotype pictures of chromosomes to the shape of the human body itself and to ancient petroglyphs.
Anker also talked about other ways the genetic revolution can be seen in relation to artistic expression. For example, the ancient mythical image of a "chimera," an organism consisting of parts from two different species, can now be seen in real life as animals are genetically engineered to have unnatural traits, sometimes borrowed from other species.
The title piece in Anker's exhibit, "Origins and Futures," is a arrangement of pyrite (commonly known as fool's gold, and thought to be one of the minerals crucial to the beginning of life on earth) and rapid prototype sculptures of embryos and fetuses at various stages of development. Anker described it as a commentary on creating life from scratch and on what the future may hold for genetic technology.
When asked why she got interested in art based on genetic imagery, Anker said she feels that since pictures and images normalize our values, the way we picture the genetic revolution will affect our perception of its effects. Also, she felt that art had lost its edge when it came to dealing with issues that effect humanity and our lives. While her work is not narrative and some of the pieces are purely aesthetic, she said, a lot of her pieces do have a point about the importance of genetics.
Suzanne Anker is a visual artist, art historian and theoretician, and department chair of art history at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Her presentation was sponsored by the Emerson Gallery, which is currently showing her "Origins and Futures" exhibit, as well as the Kirkland Project's 2003-2004 "Technology, Science and Democracy" Series.
-- Caroline O'Shea '07
