Summary

Is science the new art?
Taking this provocative question as her starting point, art historian Ingeborg Reichle examines the fascinating responses of contemporary artists when confronted with recent scientific and technological advances. In the last two decades a growing number of artists has left the traditional art venues to work in scientific environments like the laboratories of molecular biology, robotics, and artificial life. From this new art forms like „Transgenic Art“ and „Bio Art“ have emerged.

These art forms differ dramatically from traditional artistic approaches that explore life: they have crossed the boundaries between the artificial and the natural, and thus provoke passionate debates about the growing influence of science and technology.

This first comprehensive survey presents an informative selection of significant artworks in 294 color illustrations and provides a broad overview of this new and relevant development in art.

Artists
Artists like Suzanne Anker, Brandon Ballengée, Louis Bec, Guy Ben-Ary, Oron Catts and Ionat Zurr, Catherine Chalmers, the Chapman Brothers, Jaq Chartier, Peta Clancy, Kevin Clarke, Critical Art Ensemble, Joe Davis, Marcel Duchamp, George Gessert, Peter Gerwin Hoffmann, Eduardo Kac, David Kremers, Steve Kurtz, William Latham, Edgar Lissel, Kazimir Malevich, Reiner Maria Matysik, Jon McCormack, Niki Nickl, Steve Miller, Simon Penny, Patricia Piccinini, Jane Prophet, Marc Quinn, Oliver Ressler, Ken Rinaldo, Christa Sommerer and Laurent Mignonneau, Gary Schneider, Karl Sims, Pam Skelton, Nell Tenhaaf, Herwig Turk, K. D. Thornton, Stephen Todd, Gail Wight, Adam Zaretsky and many other artists are presented.