AMATEUR GODS
In the series “Amateur Gods” I pose the question of the self-construction of the SELF, opening debates on the body and human identity, making comments on genetics, technology, and society. In an autoreferential investigation, I hereby seek to rethink our essence and its haphazardness, delving into what is it that constructs us as beings, that ensures our uniqueness in the midst of a plurality of existences.
In human beings, each cell normally contains twenty-three pairs of chromosomes, which carry our DNA organized in 4 nucleotide bases: adenine, cytosine, guanine, and thymine. All the data that dictates our body and psyche. What will my eye colour be like? Will I be more prone to contracting skin cancer? Will I be afraid of heights? In times of groundbreaking technology and genetic engineering advances, I explore ways in which technology and its newest discoveries can reshape our being. I am interested in the “CRISPR” tool, which allows to “cut and paste” different genes’ segments.
Blurring the boundaries between art and science, I worked with a sample of my own saliva, which I had analyzed in order to get my full genetic genetic sequencing. Systematizing my own genetic data, I conceive my own organism as another platform for information and manipulation, while exploring the self-portrait in its most intimate dimension. In this way, I reflect on how a simple set of letters can condense all the information necessary to construct my identity, conceiving the self as pure information, which can therefore be constructed and modified with simple data variations and misplacements.
This sort of intimate self-portrait becomes a multiple and mutable expression. At times, I myself play at reconstructing and reconfiguring my own essence, while in other instances my genetic sequence is handed over to the audience so that they themselves can officiate as Amateur Gods in a playful experience that has the power to reimagine my being. In other situations, the purely cold and technological realm intersects with the gesture of handmade calligraphy. Ultimately, this information so susceptible to modification, and therefore powerful enough to modify my being, is set in stone.
In a ceaseless journey through means of portraying myself, my essence seems to always be slipping through my fingers.
OPEN BOOK
A synthesized version of the genetic information of each one of my twenty-three pairs of chromosomes is engraved on a different plexiglass piece. “Amateur Gods” is thus constituted by twenty-three components representing my most intimate self.
in a sort of performative act, I become a demiurge of my own being. in this way, I assemble and disassemble my essence, playing at inventing possibilities by combining these twenty-three pieces in different ways. Once I have reconstructed my being, I congeal the resulting piece, turning my imaginary self into a living sculpture.
On one of these sculptural versions, I choose to use transparent acrylic, bringing forth a powerful conceptual statement about the universality and purity of genetic information. The artwork underlines the commonality in the human condition, emphasizing that beneath the surface, our fundamental genetic structures are more alike than they are different. The transparency metaphorically represents the openness of our genetic 'book' — one that is universally readable, inviting contemplation on the shared human experience, unobscured by the diversities that color perception.
Moreover, this approach signifies the vulnerability and fragility of our genetic essence. In a time when genetic information is increasingly accessible and modifiable, transparent acrylic symbolizes a future where privacy is translucent, and genetic data is an open frontier for exploration and alteration. This creates a canvas for discourse on the implications of such transparency, provoking a dialogue on the ethics of genetic visibility within the larger societal framework. The clear material acts as a looking glass through which we view the blueprint of life—untinted, unaltered, and strikingly raw.
2023
Artist’s genome
Engraved transparent plexiglass
Variable dimensions
GENETIC GOLD
2023
Artist’s genome
Gold leaf coated plexiglass
Variable dimensions
In another spin-off of the series, my genetic information becomes golden. Coating the twenty-three pieces of "Amateur Gods" in gold leaf imbues the work with a commentary on the perceived value and sanctity of the genetic code. Gold, historically a symbol of divinity, immortality, and unchanging value, parallels the immutable essence of our genetic information, elevating the artwork's individual elements to a status akin to sacred relics. This use of a precious metal challenges the viewer to consider the worth of our biological data in an era where such information can be easily edited and commodified. The gold leaf serves as a physical manifestation of the metaphorical 'genetic gold' — the untapped potential within each sequence that holds the power to redefine our very being. In this gilded state, "Amateur Gods" becomes a luxurious altar to the self, at once celebrating the uniqueness of the individual and critiquing the societal and ethical implications of genetic manipulation and biotechnological advancements.
THE AUDIENCE AS AMATEUR GOD
This year I developed a multiple version of the piece especially for The Bass Museum in Miami. In this special edition, the user is invited to arrange and rearrange the elements containing my information according to his own context-specific interest. The piece, manipulated by the spectator, unfolds and shifts position, continually proposing new layouts and, therefore, a new total form. I propose an open morphology subject to the spectator’s desire, who plays the part of the scientist and Amateur God, constructing new versatile, mutant, and dynamic imaginaries of the body and the self.
in this version, each chromosome is represented with a different color, which refers in a certain way to the chromatic palette of Miami, with its always exuberant and warm atmosphere.
2023
Edition of 23 (un-numbered)
Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity signed by the artist
Artist’s genome
Engraved plexiglass
Variable dimensions
CHROM 23
In this series of twenty-three pieces, I handwrite my genetic information magnified to a gigantic scale, larger than the human dimension. The letters and numbers that shape absolutely my whole being, and that are present in an infra minuscule way inside the deepest part of my cells, take on an enormous dimension and are externalized. That intimate information is then poured into the public sphere, exhibited and unbridled. Each piece within this series represents a different chromosome, dyeing itself with its own color that bestows uniqueness within our being. They are all handwritten by me, highlighting the autoconstruction of the self present in present times.Handwriting is a means of expression that shapes my practice, alluding to self-portraiture and the ability - and almost necessity - to design oneself.
2023
Edition of 23 (numbered)
Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity signed by the artist
Handwritten artist’s genome
Plexiglass
1 x 1 mts
IT IS NOT SET IN STONE
2023
Edition of 23 (numbered)
Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity signed by the artist
Artist’s genome
Engraved stone
1 x 1 mts
The alphanumeric sequence ensures my uniqueness. The exact order in which those symbols are arranged renders my code a unique one, as though it was some sort of mantra that murmurs my spell. However, unrestrained technological advances have transformed this mantra into a work in progress, a map that can be redrawn, converting the certain into the volatile. In this work, my genetic information - modifiable and marketable - is set in stone - eternal material. The tension between the representative and the represented appears. In this way, I make a conceptual analogy of the permanent and the ephemeral, what is supposed to be but may not be, the certain that opens the way to the void that may change everything.
As a virtual counterpart of this series, and continuing with my research and artistic practice, I develop the work "ID", in which my genetic coding is transformed into NFT. The blockchain technology emerges to trace a parallelism with genetic identity, and the peril of identity loss that is always just around every corner.