PHILADELPHIA, PA -- Gallery Artist Rebecca Rutstein has been selected as the latest Artist-in-Residence for University City Science Center’s BioArt Residency, which will run from January to March 2021. Rutstein will work alongside scientists in labs at Integral Molecular and the Science Center, both located in Philadelphia, and observe their research on antibodies and viruses in relation to COVID-19. Rutstein will produce a new body of work in response to her time in the lab, which will be exhibited in the Esther Klein Gallery at the Science Center at the end of her residency.
For our BioArtists in Residence, the lab is the artist studio.
The Science Center and Integral Molecular launched the BioArt Residency as an unparalleled artist-in-residence experience, enabling artists to immerse themselves in a laboratory environment and explore the complexities of scientific research. The artists’ creative interpretations serve to engage broader audiences and stimulate meaningful dialogue around art, science, ethics and privacy.
Rebecca Rutstein
January 2021 – March 2021
Rebecca Rutstein's work expands upon her interests in geology, microbiology, marine science and the undercurrents that continually shape and reshape our world. Much of her practice engages with the visual interplay between micro and macro environments, articulating fractal patterns found in nature. Visualizing data and maps, Rutstein's paintings and installations often juxtapose opposing stylistic and conceptual frameworks: expressive/restrained, graphic/atmospheric, organic/geometric, micro/macro, handmade/mechanized, linear/solid. Through ongoing collaborations with scientists, much of her recent work and upcoming projects focus on the sublime and wonder of the deep sea, shedding light on a world hidden from view. Rutstein attempts to make the invisible visible, to connect the viewer with the natural world. As her work evolves, Rutstein feels passionately about creating interactive and immersive installations meant to deepen one’s connection to these unseen places, processes and networks, forging a dialogue about environmental stewardship in the face of climate change.