From the Argentinian Bioart Laboratory to the Strange Things retrospective: Ten years of bioart in Argentina

Abstract

Bioart is an artistic genre that brings together works that use techniques, protocols, and methodologies from the fields of biology and, above all, biotechnology, for artistic ends. The first works of bioart in Argentina were created in 2008 following the creation of the Argentinian Bioart Laboratory. After a decade of intense creativity in the production of bioart in Argentina, this article presents an overview of the works that played a part in consolidating the genre in the country. The artworks discussed here were created in connection with the Argentinian Bioart Laboratory, and many also formed part of the retrospective exhibition Cosas Extrañas. Bioarte en la Argentina [Strange Things. Bioart in Argentina], which was held at the Center for Art at the National University of La Plata in 2019. The exhibition included eleven works from 2008–2018 by the following Argentinian artists: Daniel Álvarez Olmedo, Agustín Bucari, Gabriel Cicuttin, Joaquín Fargas, Luciana Paoletti, Darío Sacco, Guido Villar, Marina Zerbarini, and the collective Grupo Proyecto Untitled.