From the 17th of June to the 1st of August, Biofriction exhibition opens in a new cultural space in Lisbon.
The vernissage takes place on the 16th of June, at 6pm.
Biofriction exhibition is curated by Marta de Menezes and presented in partnership with the Biofriction partners : Hangar, Kapelica and Solu/Bio art Society.
The exhibition seeks to open a critical space where attendees feel questioned and discover that biotechnologies, art and life sciences are not just areas of expert knowledge, but power and political use, which affect the whole of society.
This project explores transdisciplinary artistic practices involving themes related to marginalization and exclusion. The title refers to a point in a surface of friction between biology, biotechnology, fiction and art. In this bio-friction, the emancipatory potential of biotechnology through artistic practices is explored with special attention.
The artworks include a variety of biomaterials and a marked role of the artist-activist. These projects have been developed during the artistic residencies in the different participating countries, under conditions influenced by contingency measures against Covid-19.
Taken as a whole, this exhibition wants to share cultural and political predicament where the projects carried out by the artists in residency present the issues worked on during the whole project. This show is the tangible result of the dialogue between artists and researchers that participated in all stages of Biofriction.
The artworks on display are especially diverse:
Joel Ong (Canada), during his residence in Portugal, created a project where he investigated the cloud microbiome and its own DNA, in a work that crosses climate change and biotechnology;
Simona Deaconescu (Romenia) and Vanessa Goodman (Canada) created an artwork that explores the movement and the relationship of our body with the bacteria that reside in us;
Mayra Gomez (México) has a work centred on botany and social activism;
Adriana Knouf (United States of America) reflects on feminism and estrogen as an essential hormone of women;
Laura Beloff (Finland) and Kira O’Reilly (Ireland) had a series of conversations with different experts, concerning ticks as vectors of multiple pathogens;
Christina Gruber (Austria) seeks to transform common field sampling practices through bioacoustics and sound recordings;
Vanesa Lorenzo (Switzerland) conceived biocompatible prosthesis, which challenges the concept of ornament, symbiose, gender and species;
Kinlab (Italy) perceived the women’s body around three-stage of life: adolescence, fertility and menopause;
Finally, the four Braiding Friction workgroups created diverse content about curatorial challenges during the times of the pandemic.
The opening event will be on the 16th of June, at 6 pm at Ectopia – Rua José Sobral Cid, N.16, in Lisbon.
About Marta de Menezes:
Marta de Menezes is an artist and curator, and a pioneer in the area of Bioart. Her artistic work has been exhibited on all continents and is usually referenced in publications dedicated to experimental art and to the intersection between art and science. As a curator, she has organized exhibitions at home and abroad on topics related to new media in fine arts.
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The exhibition is the culmination of a collaborative project supported by Creative Europe that involved institutions in four countries (Hangar from Spain, Cultivamos Cultura from Portugal, Kapelica Gallery from Slovenia and Solu/BAS from Finland).
Practical details:
When: 17th of June – 1st of August 2021 between 10 am and 3 pm on Mondays and Wednesdays and in July by appointment
Where: Ectopia – Rua JosEctopia – Rua José Sobral Cid, N.16, in Lisbon, Portugal
Contact: + 351 919193108
For more send an email to: info@cultivamoscultura.org
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Download the Biofriction Booklet, produced in English and Portuguese, consisting of critical texts and goes through the different projects that artists participating in the exhibition have developed during their Biofriction residency program.