Organized and moderated by Regine Debatty, blogger of we-make-money-not-art.com, this panel explored what is commonly known as “bio-art” through presentations by four bio-artists: Caitlin Berrigan, Adam Zaretsky, Brandon Ballengee and Kathy High. It was organized by the New Museum’s affiliate Rhizome as part of the New Silent series.

These artists’ works reflect on emerging technologies of genetic manipulation – and their increasingly pervasive role in international society and people’s everyday lives. The artists on the panel responded to these concerns with a diverse array of practices, each getting their hands into the material of life itself to reflect upon complex issues regarding the integration of biotechnology in quotidian life processes and the ethical, cultural, and even political consequences of scientific discovery.

Berrigan, living with Hepatitis C, used 3D printing technology to produce chocolates shaped like the virus, thus inviting audience members to consume the virus as it is consuming her. Ballengee presented color dye-stained prints of frogs mutated or deformed by chemical runoff. High presented a live exhibition including transgenic mice, intentionally designed to have faulty genes giving them arthritis-like conditions, to study treatments for human ailments. Zaretsky discusses his eclectic video series on “vivoart” and “mutophobia”. All of their works were intended to draw the viewer in to engage with this fascinating new subject matter.

As Debatty said:

I think that each speaker in the panel, whether they use the amazing beauty of their photographic work or the shock tactic of an anus lollipop, will bring some meaningful elements to the discussion. After all, nothing less should be expected from artists whose material is life itself.

The New Silent was a series of programs, presented by the New Museum and organized by its affiliate organization Rhizome, that explored contemporary art engaged with emerging technology and examined the ways digital technologies alter our lives and experiences of urban spaces. The series comprised screenings and performances, as well as a critical conversational strand, which brought together leading scholars, artists, critics, and public figures to illuminate the complex interactions between technology, culture, and creative practice. Named for the generational theories of Neil Howe and William Strauss, the New Silent presented artists working at the furthest reaches of technological experimentation as well as those responding to the broader aesthetic and political implications of new tools and media.