RACC Press Releases
February 2 , 2006
Fingerprint DNA: A Portrait of an Arab American Family
a temporary installation
February 20 – March 17, 2006
The Regional Arts & Culture Council presents the installation, Fingerprint DNA: A Portrait of an Arab American Family, by Portland artist Geraldine Ondrizek, in the Portland Building Installation Space, February 20 – March 17, 2006. The Portland Building, located at 1120 SW 5th Avenue, is open to the public from 7am - 6pm, Monday through Friday. An opening for the artist will be held on Friday, February 24, 2006, 5:00-7:00 p.m. at the Portland Building.
In 2004, Ondrizek made paternity genetic tests of members of her husband’s Arab American family with assistance from a genetics student. She has essentially created a family portrait that includes no physical image. The installation will feature the results of the tests printed onto large panels of silk-like fabric and suspended in five metal armatures reminiscent of traditional looms used for centuries in rug production in the Arabic culture.
The artist has stated: “A DNA test of an Arab-American family is of particular interest in this time when those of the Arabic community in this country and worldwide are closely watched and are looked upon skeptically. . .The use of DNA and RNA can vastly change people’s lives.”
The process of obtaining a set of DNA markers began with isolating DNA from the cheek cells of family members and loading it into small rectangular holes in the top of a gel. Electricity was then run from one end of the gel to another using a saltwater bath. The dyed pieces of DNA were dragged through the gel by the electrical current, moving faster if they were small and slower if they were large. Different length fragments were separated from one another. Everyone has two different lengths of the fragment that get amplified in this test, and each person passes one of these segments onto their offspring. The resulting stains on the gel are indications of genetic qualities. Direct genetic relationships are apparent when the markers are aligned.
Background
Geraldine Ondrizek is an Associate Professor of Art at Reed College. Her RNA/DNA based work has been exhibited in one-person exhibitions internationally including Gas Works in London and the Kunst Seminar in Schwabishall, Germany. She has had other solo exhibits at the Holter Museum in Helena, Montana; Maryhill Museum in Washington; The Henry Art Gallery in Seattle; the Mattress Factory in Philadelphia; and the AIR Gallery in New York. Her work has been included in numerous group exhibitions from Seattle to New York to France. She received first prize for her work that was included in the 1997 Oregon Biennial.
Sponsored by the Regional Arts & Culture Council since 1994, the Installation Art Series at the Portland Building invites the general public to re-examine its expectations and definitions of art, encourage dialogue about the role of art in public spaces, and provide artists with alternative exhibition space for their work. Artists featured through June 2006 will be: Ethan Hamm, March 27-April 21; Mike Barber, Linda Austen, Carla Mann, Margretta Hanson, Cydney Wilkes, May 1-26; and Tim Young, June 5-30.
Through vision, leadership and service the Regional Arts
& Culture Council works to integrate arts and culture in all aspects of
community life.
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Jeff Hawthorne
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503.823.5258
jhawthorne@racc.org
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