Corpus Extremus (LIFE+)
February 28 April 18, 2009
Opening: Saturday February 28, 7-10pm
@ Exit Art 475 Tenth Ave NYC
EXHIBITION //
Corpus Extremus (LIFE+), the second exhibition of Exit Art’s Curatorial
Incubator Program, will present work by artists who are using bio- and
media- technologies to investigate questions of life and death.
Representative of a relatively new international trend, these artists are
uniting science and art to challenge conventional understanding of both
fields.
Prior to the eighteenth century, art and science were not separated as
distinct disciplines, and were often joined. Thus a hybrid bio-art
discipline is nothing radically new. Yet, the work in Corpus Extremus
(LIFE+) represents a revolution in interdisciplinary research and practices
and offers a critical evaluation of science and technology through art. This
direct involvement of artists in scientific research and lab practices aims
to demystify science through a cross-disciplinary approach; to provoke
discussion about art and science as creative stimuli to each other; and to
pose ethical questions to society.
The artworks in this exhibition deal with the transformation of our notions
of life and death due to the implementation of biotechnological advances in
everyday life. Recent innovations in science and technology are causing us
to confront and challenge our conventional understanding of the body. Trying
to reveal ³the secret of life,² and to retain health, we are finding new
ways to create living transplants and sustain life outside of the body. This
possibility gives ground for the design of new organisms hybrids, cyborgs
and extended human bodies that might be a new stage in an evolution with a
questionable future.
Artists: Suzanne Anker, Guy Ben-Ary and Philip Gamblen in collaboration with Dr. Steve Potter Lab (Dr. Steve Potter, Douglas Swehla, Stephen Bopic), BioKino
(Guy Ben-Ary and Tanya Visosevic), Dmitry Bulatov, Center for PostNatural
History, Kathy High, Soyo Lee, Yuri Leiderman and Andrei Silvestrov
Stelarc, The Tissue Culture and Art Project (Oron Catts and Ionat Zurr),
ULTRAFUTURO (Oleg Mavromatti and Boryana Rossa) in collaboration with Chris Bjornsson and Kathy High, Paul Vanouse, Jennifer Willet, Adam Zaretsky and the pFARM Collective.
FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 6-9pm
Corpus Extremus (LIFE+) Explained and Expanded, Part 2
Oron Catts and Ionat Zurr of The Tissue Culture and Art Project discuss
their work, NoArk II, and semi living objects (partly alive and partly
constructed) as a new class of object beings. Adam Zaretsky does a
presentation on mutagenic arts related to his work pFARM :: Organic Fetish
Biotech, which is followed by a screening of the project¹s 60 minute film.
FREE. Cash bar.
Exit Art
475 Tenth Ave NYC
New York, NY 10018
T. 212 966 7745
F. 212 925 2928
E. info@exitart.org