Real and Imaginary Mutants
In 2013, Svenja Kratz participated in a five-month residency at the Art and Genomics Centre in Leiden, The Netherlands, as the recipient of QAGOMA’s Queensland New Media Scholarship. This residency provided a unique opportunity for Kratz to explore genetic engineering and synthetic biology, areas that resonate with her longstanding interest in the intersections of biology, science fiction, and the wonder of the natural sciences. Working within Leiden University’s Gorlaeus Laboratories, Kratz collaborated with the Solid State NMR group to investigate the potential of engineered protein pumps from the microorganism Halorubrum sodomense to enhance solar energy absorption. Using E. coli cultures, she worked with Srividya Ganapathy to bioengineer the AR3 proteins to shift in color, from standard off-white to a vibrant purple, symbolising the transformative power of bioengineering at a microscopic scale.
Kratz also worked with the team to undertake site-specific mutagenesis, creating a mutant version of the AR3 protein (AR3FS). Reflecting on this process, she noted that “real” mutants in biotechnology often diverge significantly from dramatic popular depictions, instead existing “quietly” and often imperceptibly within microscopic organisms and proteins.
Agar culture of genetically engineered E-coli bacteria; Processed membrane vesicles revealing purple colour shift.
Upon returning to Australia, Kratz incorporated her residency findings into a series of artworks titled Real and Imaginary Mutants. These works feature illustrations of mythological and imagined biotech creatures colored with pigments derived from her engineered proteins, highlighting the contrast between cultural perceptions of mutants and their scientific realities. The series was exhibited at SGAR Gallery, alongside mixed media works that explored humanity’s evolving relationship with scientific knowledge and the drive to understand and manipulate nature.
Examples from the Real and Imaginary Mutants (2013 - 2014) series: Indian ink and genetically engineered AR3 protein pigments on archival watercolour paper.
You can read more about the project via the QAG/GOMA project blog. If you would like to know more about the scientific process, you can review the following research article.
PROJECT PARTNERS: Real and Imaginary Mutants was funded by the QLD Premiere’s New Media Award by QAG/GOMA. The project was developed in a creative partnership with The Art and Genomics Centre and Leiden University’s Gorlaeus Laboratories, Netherlands. Many thanks to the amazing researchers that supported the project including Dr Srividya Ganapathy, Prof. Huub De Groot, Prof.Wim de Grip, Professor Robert Zwijnenberg and David Louwrier. Thank you.