A part of the retort projectspace was set as an exhibition. Most of the artists who were invited to present their work in the exhibition, were frequently present, used the project space as a guest studio and welcomed guest artists and scientists in the project.
In the USA, UK and Australia the biogenetic art movement is more obvious than in Holland. The biogenetic artists work with living materials and alter DNA among other things. For the kloone4000 project artists have been selected who are fascinated by images of the future and the possibilities of technology and science, and use tools like computer manipulation and digital media, which were unkown to art until recently. The work consists of paintings, drawings, ceramics, installations, photography, design, video and discussion.
The artists are related by topics like repetitions, transformations, identity en projection of identity, relation of the individual to the mass population, anonymity and changes in communication, perfectioning the body and beauty standards, the power of visionary future images and alsmost discreet application of modern media.
Works of the following artists was in the exhibition:
Loréne Bourguignon: androgyn double portraits of her father and herself, paintings, drawings and prints
Silvia B: installations and drawings, freakish images of women question beauty standards
Lisa Holden: manipulated photography
Wim Hardeman: manipulated portrait photography: tintography
Anje Roosjen: paintings of extremely symmetrical twins, based on manipulated photographs of children
Joanneke Meester: installations
Chrystl Rijkeboer: installations/human hair
Shunji Hori: photography, video, installations, the urge to physically fuse in love relations
Netty van Osch: ceramic installations, the beauty of children with congenital malformations
Loréne Bourguignon
Silvia B
Lisa Holden
Wim Hardeman
Anje Roosjen
Joanneke Meester
Chrystl Rijkeboer
Shunji Hori
Netty van Osch
context
Can artists contribute to an ethical debate? How is aesthetics related to ethics?
An aesthetical judgement (if something is beautiful for example) can not be proven empirically. Aesthetic judgements are neither true nor false. They are normative statements about what is desirable and not about what is factual. Aesthetic statements are value judgements, like moral statements. It is important that these judgements are not misused in each others' place. It is possible to use an artwork to make an ethical statement under the guise of an aesthetic statement. Artists have the relative level of creative freedom given by society, which allows them to make statements that seem crazy and against all the rules but make us step off the beaten track. With their visual images they also have a powerful tool to influence the opinions and emotions of the lay public, much more effectively than the numerical results of scientific research.
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