Eduardo Kac by Emma

Biologist and Artist Eduardo Kac is the perfect example of the seamless fusion of art and science. Kac first caught my eye last year as I was trying to research artists who grew organisms as a form of artistic practice as I was attempting to do so myself. He is a practicing scientist who genetically modifies organisms and pushes boundaries for the sake of art. Kac deals not only with imagination and scientific discovery, he delves into ethical dilemmas and creationism in his pieces.

Some may argue that a lot of Kac’s work appears solely scientific, but there are great conceptual backings behind all of his pieces. One of his most famous pieces, for example, is a transgenic bunny named Alba titled GFP Bunny (2000). He fused the DNA of a glow in the dark jellyfish with that of a regular rabbit and created a new fluorescent creature. This practice not only created a seemingly mythological creature, it opened up dialogue about the possibilities of genetic manipulation for the sake of art. This moving, breathing creature had a changed genetic code and altered color, much like traditional art changes forms and colors. In addition to this, Kac has also combined his own DNA with that of plants and coined the term “Bio Art” to describe his processes.

Another astonishing piece was Genesis (1999) in which Kac translated a verse from the Bible that read: “Let man have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth” into Morse Code. He then translated this into a genetic code and infused the piece of DNA that he created into a bacterium which he then grew in a gallery. Another element of internet interaction allowed viewers online to turn on and off lights in the gallery, changing the way the bacteria grew. Not only was this an incredible scientific maneuver, but it also brought up very intense ideas of religion, creation, power, and technology. He essentially was altering his own story about the creation of life and produced a power dynamic that allowed strangers from the internet to shift not only his piece but the life of the bacteria as well. By employing the internet as well as biological techniques to create this piece, Kac allowed technology and information systems to be just as much of his process as his own free will.

Kac is incredibly significant for his pieces and his collaboration with other scientists and the science world. He epitomizes the idea that the two are connected and that creation, creativity, and imagination are used by both artists and scientists. Much like other artists such as Damien Hirst, his ethics have been called into question which is a dilemma that both artists and scientists encounter. Scientists have the capability of altering life and creating new forms of it and artists allow us to see those forms in often difficult ways. Nevertheless, art and science are undoubtedly intertwined within Kac’s work and prove that the two disciplines can create an engaging conversation.




 GFP Bunny (2000)

 Genesis (1999)
Natural History of the Enigma (2003-8)

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