Shawn Bailey

Shawn Bailey is a visual artist who explores the artistic applications of biological systems, genetics and pharmaceuticals through digital media, installation, performance and critical writing.

His ongoing research explores notions of authority and control
structures implicit in media, law and international biotech and pharmaceutical policy development.

He completed a BFA at The U of C in 1997 and a MFA at York University (Toronto) in 1999. He has exhibited, lectured and published internationally. He is currently employed as an associate professor in Studio Arts (teaching in printmedia, art theory and the studio arts MFA graduate programme) at Concordia University and is an artist-researcher with the Hexagram Institute for Research and Creation in Media Arts and Technologies. Over the summer of 2004 he held a Research Fellowship and was
posted as a staff member at the University of Western Australia's
Department of Human Anatomy and Biology where he explored the applications of tissue culture technologies and 3D rapid prototyping utilizing 3T3 and P19 cell line cultures under the supersision of Oron Catts and Ionet Zurr of the Tissue Culture and Art artist group. For the past four years, he has been working with visual artist Jennifer Willet on a collaborative project, BIOTEKNICA. BIOTEKNICA is a fictitious corporation, which explores notions of reproduction and self/other distinctions in relation to evolving biotechnologies. BIOTEKNICA projects its viewers into the future, where within our virtual laboratory designer organisms are generated on demand. However, the organisms produced by BIOTEKNICA do not adhere to the structures
and functionality normally manifest in nature. Similar to mutations
depicted in The Fly, Rosemary's Baby, and Alien Resurrection, our
specimens are irrational and grotesque. They are modeled on the
Teratoma, an unusual cancerous growth containing multiple tissues like hair, skin, teeth, and vascular systems.

He lives and works in Montréal, Canada.