 |
| Fig. 1 |
In Meanings of
participation: Outlaw Biology? Chris Kelty states, “…the Victorian
Gentleman
Scientist is neither outside nor within the system, but above it. His
view on things is that of the aesthete and the discriminating intellectual…Artists
are more likely to be Victorian Gentleman than hackers and outlaws…” Kelty
gives an artist the term Victorian Gentleman Scientist and labels an artist
above the system of biology.
The problem with this idea is that it gives artists the
immunity to do what they want when dealing with complex biological structures
because they are “above the system.”
Why is this a problem?
When artists are removed from the system art becomes an
exclusive media, only attainable by those that are highly educated. In
addition, claiming that an artist is above the system only removes the artist
from any blame they may receive.
 |
| Fig. 2 |
Take as an example the Central American artist Guillermo
Habacuc Vargas. Vargas tied up a severely malnourished and starving dog and
instructed visitors to his gallery that the dog would not be fed. After some
visitors objected to the artist’s demands, Vargas remained unmoved and the dog
stayed without eating until he died later that night.
An art piece such as this is not only extreme but severely hurtful
to the connections between artists and the general population.
However, besides Vargas’s inappropriate use of a starving dog
as a showpiece, it seems that most artists don’t cross this inhumane line and
if they do their actions aren’t very deleterious.
Marta de Menezes, by using a thin needle coupled to a heat
generator, was able to create unique wing patters on butterflies never before
seen in nature.
Menezes’s butterfly project differs from Varagas’s showcase
because she handled the complex biological structures she worked with in a humane
manner.
 |
| Fig. 3 |
The danger all artists face when they are working with
complex biological structures is not having a purpose and not communicating
that purpose effectively.
What was the point of Menezes butterfly project?
The moment that an artist loses its audience, that is the
moment when bio art becomes unethical.
Artists should do a better job of breaking down their
complex ideas by communicating them to the public with minimal jargon. It’s
time to open up the art world to everyone.
Resources
HamdenRice, .
"Artist ties up dog in gallery, let's it starve to death while gallery
goers watch (warning: graphic)."Artist ties
up dog in gallery, let's it starve to death while gallery goers watch (warning:
graphic). Democratic
Underground, 23 Mar 2008. Web. 10 Nov 2013.
<http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3049666>.
Reinert, Birgit. N.p.. Web. 10 Nov 2013. <http://www.genomenewsnetwork.org/articles/2004/05/28/butterflywings.php>.
School of Visual Arts.
Visual Arts Press. Web. 10 Nov 2013. <http://www.sva.edu/special-programs/summer-residency-programs/bio-art>
Vranich, Dr.
Belisa. "Dr. Belisa Vranich: The Starving Dog Artist: A Diagnosis ." Huffington
Post Healthy Living. Huffington Post,
20 Apr 2008. Web. 10 Nov 2013.
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/belisa-vranich/the-starving-dog-artist-a_b_97512.html>.
Images
Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
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