BERLIN.- American artist Eduardo Kac (born 1962 in Brazil) is working since many years with biotechnology. At Gallery [DAM]Berlin he presents the work group „ Natural History of the Enigma“. The focal of the work consists of a transgenic flower which Kac developed with the University of Minnesota. At first glance the „Edunia“ looks like a normal petunia, a common balcony plant. But the rose flower with the red venes has incorproated the genes of the artist and also reminds us in her colouring of flesh and blood. She is a hybrid plant, a product of genetic manipulation. Genetic research, that will change our life deeply and irreversibly in the future, mostly takes place behind the closed doors of a laboratory. With his work, Kac takes the subject into the public domain and puts the future developments up for discussion.

Who is allowed to create new life-forms and for which purpose? To what category does the new hybrid belong: do we call it still a plant despite of the human genetic material?

For „Natural History of the Enigma“ Eduardo Kac was awarded with the Golden Nica of Ars Electronica in 2009.

Kac has exhibited in the Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris; Kunsthalle Kiel, Germany; Oi Futuro and Museum of Modern Art, Rio de Janeiro; OK Contemporary Art Center, Linz; InterCommunication Center (ICC), Tokyo; Seoul Museum of Art, Korea, amongst others. His works can be found in the following collections (selection): Museum of Modern Art, New York; ZKM, Karlsruhe, Germany, and in the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro.

Eduardo Kac received several awards for his work like Leonardo Award for Excellence, ISAST, in 1998 and ICC Award in Tokyo in 1999. He lives and works in Chicago.