Eduardo Kac is widely recognized for his interactive net installations and his bio art. A pioneer of telecommunications art in the pre-Web '80s, Eduardo Kac (pronounced "Katz") emerged in the early '90s with his telepresence and biotelematic works. His visionary combination of robotics and networking explores the fluidity of subject positions in the post-digital world. His work deals with issues that range from the mythopoetics of online experience (Uirapuru) to the cultural impact of biotechnology (Genesis); from the changing condition of memory in the digital age (Time Capsule) to distributed collective agency (Teleporting an Unknown State); from the problematic notion of the "exotic" (Rara Avis) to the creation of life and evolution (GFP Bunny).

Kac's "transgenic art" -- includes a groundbreaking installation entitled Genesis (1999), which included an "artist's gene" he invented, and fluorescent rabbit named Alba (2000).

Kac's work has been showcased in biennials such as 1st Yokohama Triennial, Japan, 49th International Venice Biennale, Italy, 1st Mercosul Biennial, Brazil, and 4th Saint Petersburg Biennial, Russia. His work is part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Joan Flasch Artists' Book Collection in Chicago, and the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro, among others.

Kac's work has been featured both in contemporary art publications (Flash Art, Artforum, ARTnews, Kunstforum, Tema Celeste, Artpress) and in the mass media (ABC, BBC, PBS, Le Monde).

The recipient of many awards, Kac lectures and publishes worlwide. His work is documented on the Web in eight languages: http://www.ekac.org. Eduardo Kac is a Ph.D. research fellow at the Centre for Advanced Inquiry in Interactive Arts (CAiiA) at the University of Wales, Newport, United Kingdom. He is Chair of the Art and Technology Department at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Eduardo Kac is represented by Julia Friedman Gallery, Chicago.

Genesis -- Genesis was commissioned by Ars Electronica 99 and presented online and at the O.K. Center for Contemporary Art, Linz, from September 4 to 19, 1999. Genesis is a transgenic artwork that explores the intricate relationship between biology, belief systems, information technology, dialogical interaction, ethics, and the Internet. The key element of the work is an "artist's gene", a synthetic gene that was created by Kac by translating a sentence from the biblical book of Genesis into Morse Code, and converting the Morse Code into DNA base pairs according to a conversion principle specially developed by the artist for this work. The sentence reads: "Let man have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth." It was chosen for what it implies about the dubious notion of divinely sanctioned humanity's supremacy over nature. The Genesis gene was incorporated into bacteria, which were shown in the gallery. Participants on the Web could turn on an ultraviolet light in the gallery, causing real, biological mutations in the bacteria. This changed the biblical sentence in the bacteria. The ability to change the sentence is a symbolic gesture: it means that we do not accept its meaning in the form we inherited it, and that new meanings emerge as we seek to change it. The exhibition history of Genesis can be seen here.

GFP Bunny -- With GFP Bunny Kac welcomes Alba, the green fluorescent rabbit, and explains that transgenic art must be created "with great care, with acknowledgment of the complex issues at the core of the work and, above all, with a commitment to respect, nurture, and love the life thus created." The first phase of the GFP Bunny project was completed in February 2000 with the birth of "Alba" in Jouy-en-Josas, France. The second phase is the ongoing debate, which started with the first public announcement of Alba's birth, made by Kac in the context of the Planet Work conference, in San Francisco, on May 14, 2000. The third phase will take place when the bunny comes home to Chicago, becoming part of Kac's family and living with him from that point on.

www.ekac.org