STILL LIFE WITH STEM CELLS
Patricia Piccinini
What future did we envision with biotechnology?
Created in 2002, this work emerged in a time when we were just beginning to imagine the potential of stem cell science. It was a time before gene editing technology was fully developed, before the human genome had been sequenced. These incredible forms of biotechnology held immense promise yet also brought uncertainty. The girl featured here is close to these creatures. She's smiling, entirely unafraid. They are her companions in this projected future where such beings are embraced. One question for Patricia when she made this work was what are we going to do with this technology? Over the last year, Patricia has been connecting in conversation with stem cell scientists, discovering how this technology has evolved and matured, leading to development of a new work.
What innovations today might reshape our lives in the next 25 years?
BIOGRAPHY
Patricia Piccinini is an Australian artist whose work encompasses sculpture, photography, video and drawing. Her practice examines the increasingly nebulous boundary between the artificial and the natural as it appears in contemporary culture and ideas. Her surreal drawings, hybrid animals and vehicular creatures question the way that contemporary technology and culture changes our understanding of what it means to be human and wonders at our relationships with – and responsibilities towards – that which we create.
Photography credit: Phoebe Powell