opening kloone4000 project Amsterdam 6 pm

kloone4000 is about to solve a tricky problem.
kloone4000 thinks genomics is a mysterious word.
kloone4000 wants to tempt artists and scientists into cross-fertilization.
kloone4000 is curious about the reactions of the public.
kloone4000 sees major opportunities for the imagination in cloning.

The art- and science project kloone4000 will focus this fall on this controversial matter by encouraging artists (oa. Adam Zaretsky, Koen Vanmechelen) and scientists (ao. Inez de Beaufort, Robert Zwijnenberg) to cooperate in a research project, an exhibition and a series of lectures.

Kloone4000 presents work of artists who are fascinated by images of the future and the possibilities of technology and science. Their interest in genetic research is a basis for cooperation and cross fertilisation with scientists who are interested in the possibilities of imagination.
Lorene Bourguignon makes androgynous double portraits of herself and her father. Netty van Osch has found the beauty of children with congenital deformations in her ceramic installations. Shunji Hori researches in his photography, installations and video work the urge to physically fuse in love relations. Anje Roosjen makes paintings of extremely symmetrical twins based on altered photographs of children. Among the other participating artists are Wim Hardeman, Lisa Holden (manipulated photography), Silvia B., Chrystl Rijkeboer and Joanneke Meester (objects). Guest artists are ao. Erika Biddle (US), Caitlin Masley (US), Olga Ast (US), Rune Peitersen (DK), Agnes Maes (BE) and Koen Vanmechelen (BE).
Recurring topics are identity and projection of identity, the relation of the individual to the mass population, perfecting the body and beauty standards and the power and magic of visionary images of the future.

Original perspectives on ethics, philosophy and gen technology will find their way into the lecture- and discussion programme, which is organized in cooperation with the Arts and Genomics Centre. This allows the public to get a feel for the topics and the interdisciplinairy work style. There will be a.o. lectures by the Belgian artist Koen Vanmechelen about his project Cosmopolitan Chicken, professor of medical ethics Inez de Beaufort, philosopher dr. Bas Haring (known from his television program Stof), Taco Stolk about Genetic Design as specialization at art academy, professor of philosophy Hub Zwart and philosopher of technology Martijntje Smits. Microbiologist Bertus Beaumont, from the university of Auckland (New-Zealand), will reflect on current events and answer ‘difficult’ questions in the kloone4000 weblog. The american bio-artist Adam Zaretsky will do a DNA hybrid isolation workshop for artists.

Kloone4000 is besides an exhibition and lectures also particulary a research project in which the individual interests and fascinations of artists are joined, relevant experts are invited to allow the work to evolve and get to know each others work area. Projects within this research are The tragedy of beauty, Who is my father?, who is my mother?, Am I my twin and Art as knowledge.
The results of the research will be visible in the project space as an installation that can change every day. The project space functions on weekdays as an open studio, which is freely accessible for the public.

Dates project: 1 September to 15 October 2005
Opening: 16 September 2005, including a lecture by Koen Vanmechelen
Closure event: 15 October 2005, including final debate
Location: project space Retort, Aalsmeerweg 103, 1059 AG Amsterdam, Holland
Hours: Mo to Sa 11 am - 7 pm (check hours for lectures)
Website: http://www.kloone.anjeroosjen.com