Between utopia and dystopia
contemporary art and its conflicting representations of scientific knowledge
pp. 245-258
in: Heiner Fangerau (ed), Handbook of popular culture and biomedicine, Berlin, Springer, 2019Abstract
This paper investigates how different artistic practices interpret and represent scientific thought in general and genetics in particular. By revising the artworks of three different artists, here we demonstrate that those pertaining to the artistic practices closely associated with the Art, Science and Technology artworld (AST), with its subgenres such as computer or bio art, not only understand science differently than its artistic peers but also represent it in a very particular and positive way. This, we argue, contrasts with the larger artistic field and is the result of this art world particular historical development. We conclude that AST's popularity, despite struggling to assert itself in the artistic field, reflects a larger popular trend that can be also seen, for example, in the transhumanist movement.