Aphrodite’s Conception

Boryana Rossa, School of Visual and Performing Arts, Syracuse University and UWA Institute of Advanced Studies Visiting Fellow

This lecture by artist Boryana Rossa - developed in close exchange with biologist Dr Heidi Hehnly (Syracuse University) - speculates on how the economics of surrogacy, the development of artificial wombs, and technological possibilities such as in-vitro fertilization, induced pluripotent stem cell technology, and cloning may shape our society and understanding of the role of the parent and the caregiver. Through visual and textual narratives this work examines the parallels between reproduction myths of ancient mythologies, natural reproductive phenomena, and the studied contemporary reproductive biotechnologies. The goal of this ongoing research is to expose the connection between mythology and biotechnologies that may not be immediately apparent, and to point to their emerging similarities, revealing shared archetypes of conception, pregnancy and care.

Ancient myths offer diverse and imaginative accounts of procreation that have profoundly shaped cultures. Among them is the tale of the Thracian goddess Bendis, who self-inseminates and gives birth to her future husband, Zis. Aphrodite is born from the sea. Another legend tells of Hera, who, angry toward her husband Zeus, conceives Hephaestus by consuming enchanted herbs. Hephaestus, in turn, plays a key role in the “triple parenthood” of Erichthonius, the famous king of Athens. Rossa’s project explores future sci-fi scenarios in which parental roles and social dynamics are changed because of these advances in biotechnology.

Aphrodite’s Conception is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, Bioinspired Institute, and the Department of Film and Media Arts at Syracuse University, NY.

Boryana Rossa, Ph.D., is an interdisciplinary artist and curator who works in the fields of technology and art, film, video, performance, and bio-art. Her work is focused on the influence of technology and science on all fields of human activity.

Rossa’s works have been shown internationally at such venues as Brooklyn Museum and Exit Art, New York; Kunstwerke and Akademie der Kunste, Berlin; Haifa Museum of Art, Haifa; Museum of Contemporary Art (MUMOK), Vienna; Zacheta Gallery, Warsaw; Sofia Arsenal – Museum of Contemporary Art (SAMCA) and National Gallery of Fine Arts, Sofia; First Balkan Biennale, Thesaloniki; Coreana Museum, Seoul; Biennial for Electronic Art, Perth (BEAP), Australia; Foundation for Art and Creative Technologies (FACT), Liverpool; and Society for Art and Technology (SAT), Montreal.

In 2018, together with Heidi Hehnly, associate professor of biology at Syracuse University, she established The BioArt Research Coalition, a forum at Syracuse University where artists and scientists meet to share their research and discuss it with representatives of other disciplines. Rossa is a co-founder and leader of the Posthumanities: Arts and Sciences subgroup of the Bioinspired Institute.

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