Sense<&-#:>Antisense, 2022
Esther Klein Gallery at the The Science Center, Philadelphia, PA

Click HERE to watch an artist talk with my scientific collaborators about the project.

Sense<&-#:>Antisense is the outcome of my residency at the biotech company, Integral Molecular, where I explored the ways that science has been misunderstood, misinterpreted, and willfully distorted during the COVID-19 pandemic. The title, Sense<&-#:>Antisense, refers to both the scientific and everyday meanings of the words. In genetics, sense is the name for the coding strand of DNA, and antisense is the name for its compliment. Antisense RNA also silences or prevents mRNA from being expressed.  The exhibition points to the media pathways through which facts about the pandemic have mutated to sow disinformation and hate, and highlights the primary outcome of her residency: an antidote in the form of a misinformation vaccine.

To create the misinformation vaccine, I rearranged the list of letters that scientists use to represent the primary structure of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein, spelling out phrases expressing COVID related falsehoods and conspiracy theories. This artificially mutated sequence describes a new version of the Spike protein, now encoded with misinformation. Integral Molecular scientists used the new sequence to synthesize an mRNA vaccine, Antisense Therapy. In theory, the vaccine would stimulate antibodies against a hypothetical SARS-CoV-2 spiked with Greene’s misinformation mutations.

The free standing piece in the center of the gallery, Internet Hazard: Love, Comment, Forward, Re-tweet, explores the role of the news and social media platforms in amplifying misinformation and divisions. On the walls, clusters of human cells mutate into social media icons that have helped to increase the spread of misinformation in the internet age. As the cells come together to form icons, the green florescent protein used as a biomarker by scientists glows brighter. On the floor, internet hazard signs simultaneously warn against and invite viewers to experience a cacophonous mixture of sounds collected from the internet, highlighting the difficulty in sorting fact from fiction amid the din.  

In addition to investigating communication and language problems between scientists and the public at large, Sense<&-#:>Antisense highlights the problems that arise with communication between cultures and languages. While the relationship between America and China has been strained for years, the ever mutating “facts” surrounding the origin of the virus has heightened the distrust between the countries. During my residency, I held round table discussions among the Chinese and Chinese-American scientists at Integral to explore the impacts of the pandemic on relations between China and the United States, as well as on Chinese-Americans in this country. The outcome of these conversations takes the form of a video and related print series, #∆!, which meditate on the nature of language, meaning and misunderstanding between countries, as well as between science and society.

Honey Bee, 2009
Archival Pigment Prints, 9" x 12.5"

In the series, Honey Bees, the insects are stripped of their menacing association, and photographed in an empty space suggestive of a scientific illustration. Yet, rather than creating distance between the subject and viewer, the prints elicit a sympathetic engagement with the natural world from which we habitually disassociate ourselves. The postures of the bees draw attention to their individual attempts to turn away from the scrutiny of the viewer. They seem in weary rebellion against the imposition: turning away, prostrating themselves, or giving up.

Installation view: (dis)-order, Delaware Center for Contemporary Art, Wilmington, DE.

Preservation/Observation (Fig. 1), 2005
Archival Pigment Print, 9.5" x 9.5"

Preservation/Observation is a documentation of a bug specimen collection. The images are life-like depictions of the collection, often mistaken for the actual bugs. In fact, the specimens are slightly enlarged, drawing the viewer to look closer at details that ordinarily would go unnoticed. The spare quality of the prints is suggestive of a scientific diagram, yet the method of observation and collecting is decidedly unscientific, even careless. Scotch tape traps the dust and other detritus along with the bug part, suggesting a visceral, spontaneous, almost child-like approach to observation. The prints urge the viewer to identify both with the vulnerability of the bug, as well as with the urge to contain and control.

Installation view: Painted Bride Art Center, Philadelphia, PA.

Under the Glass, 2002
Iris prints, 14" x 14"

The group of nine digital prints in Under the Glass employs the spotlight of the sun through a magnifying glass to evoke a relationship between the experience of vulnerability, observation, and control. The insects in the prints are exposed in the spotlight and, as they are illuminated, become vulnerable to the scorching heat of the sun through the glass. The piece reflects the human fascination with looking, and the notion of examination as a tool of control and potential destruction.

Installation view: Drawing from Life, Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts, Harrisburg, PA.