Bioart Exhibition Splice Explores Human-Nature Relationships at Oulu Museum of Art

The Oulu Museum of Art in Finland hosted the exhibition Splice: Re-examining Nature from 20 May to 12 November, in collaboration with the Bioart Society. This event showcased the work of 16 individual artists and four artist duos, all engaged in bioart, to investigate the connection between humanity and the natural world. Antero Kare's SWAN (2000) features a polyurethane swan inhabited by microbes, while Tuula Närhinen's Saltwatercolours (2012) captures the condition of the Baltic Sea through seawater remnants. During the opening, Kira O'Reilly honored Joseph Beuys by entering a lake in a sequined dress. Ilkka Halso's Kitka River (2004) comments on the romanticization and overdevelopment of nature. Curator Nina Czegledy sought to inspire dialogue about environmental politics, as highlighted in ArtReview's Summer 2017 edition.