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I’ve been following Patricia Piccinini‘s art for several years. The February 2006 issue of Juxtapoz has a short article and photo spread on her latest exhibit, Nature’s Little Helpers, which was on display in New York’s Robert Miller Gallery at the tail end of 2005. I’m thrilled to see her art and message popular and spreading, and am waiting for an
SFMOMA showing.
In her latest show, Piccinini posits a near future where human gene-tech gives us the ability to create new animals, special purpose chimaeras designed to aid and protect currently endangered species. One look at her unnerving creations is enough to know these beings have large percentages of human DNA. Small knowledge of the state of current genetic science is enough to know her vision is not only possible, but possible soon, if not already here.
Piccinini’s pieces incorporate many materials in all types of media, and she works with other skilled artists to manifest her visions. This is one of the facets of her work I find most inspiring and intriguing. Building upon group knowledge, the resulting artifact is sometimes changed by the various inputs, differing from her original design. This is similar to the process of technology, the scientific method and the quest for truth itself.
Piccinini does not claim a viewpoint for her work. Like all good art, it is designed to ask questions, to open the viewer’s mind to various angles of a scenario. She’s not cheerleading for a brave new world through biotech. She’s asking “What will we get? Will it be what we expect? If it isn’t, is that good or bad or both?” Her pieces provoke you into thinking for yourself.
Interviewer: “What does art mean to you?”
Patricia Piccinini: “What’s the meaning of life? I think art is a reflection of the culture that we live in, and that art and artists are crucial for our society to go forward. ”