Christian Kosmas Mayer
Deutsches Hygiene-Museum Dresden, Germany
11 February – 10 September 2023
Imagine a life without disease. Imagine a life in which everyone starts with the same cards, without genetic dispositions that benefit the privileged few. Imagine a world in which the genetic makeup of plants could be changed in such a way that they can survive rapid climate change. Imagine a world in which AIDS is curable. Imagine a world in which babies could be customised into smarter, prettier children. Imagine a world in which “non-modified” becomes a disability.
These are some of the questions that led the Deutsches Hygiene-Museum to conceive the exhibition Von Genen und Menschen. With the insights that scientists are gaining into modern genetics, the possibility to take full control over life seems to be almost within reach. Von Genen und Menschen presented arguments about the opportunities and risks of genetic modification in order to stimulate public discussion. The complexity of the topic was explored by juxtaposing the natural sciences with contemporary art in a discussion of the four fundamental pillars of human life: origin, identity, health, and nature. The exhibition also provided a historical perspective, illustrating how genetic research has been instrumentalised to serve racist and eugenic ideologies.
Christian Kosmas Mayer’s newly-commisioned installation, co-produced by Phileas, explores the story of the Pyrenean ibex. Its impending extinction in the late 1990s provoked scientists to attempt a cloning project. Taking this as his starting point, Kosmas Mayer debated what is technically feasible and what is ethically imperative.
Christian Kosmas Mayer (born 1975 in Sigmaringen, Germany lives and works in Vienna) works in a wide range of disciplines from photography, sculpture, biotechnology and archaeology to writing, music, and journalism. He has had solo exhibitions at mumok, Vienna; Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, Vienna; MAK Center, Los Angeles; Altana Galerie Dresden; Centrum Kultury Zamek, Poznan; Kunststiftung Baden-Württemberg, Stuttgart; Austrian Cultural Forum, Warsaw; and participated in group exhibitions at the 26th Bienal de São Paulo; Manifesta 7, Rovereto; Kunstmuseum Bonn; Leopold Museum, Vienna; Torrance Art Museum, Los Angeles; and several other institutions.
In 2023, Kosmas Mayer will be the subject of a new publication produced by Phileas as part of its annual First Monograph Series.
