This talk will explore the multiple possibilities of artistic approaches that can be developed in relation to Art and Biology in contemporary art practice as research. A special emphasis will be placed on the work developed by myself throughout my career in the development of collaborative art and biology projects where the artist has to learn some biological research skills in order to create artwork and where the new knowledge brought to the field of art research derives directly from the practice of art.
Marta de Menezes is a Portuguese artist exploring the intersection between Art and Biology, working in research laboratories demonstrating that new biological technologies can be used as new art medium. In 1999 de Menezes created her first biological artwork (Nature?) by modifying the wing patterns of live butterflies. Since then, she has used diverse biological techniques including functional MRI of the brain to create portraits where the mind can be visualised. She is currently the artistic director of Ectopia, an experimental art laboratory in Lisbon, and Director of Cultivamos Cultura in the South of Portugal.
