A simple swab of saliva and cells from inside a mouth can solve crimes and determine parenthood, but DNA is now also gaining popularity as art.
With clean lines and geometrical patterns, the modern art look of genetic profiles has sparked a growing trend for DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, portraits — possibly the most unique picture of a person that they could hang on their walls.
“We’re in an era of mass personalization — from jeans to shoes to cars,” said Adrian Salamunovic, of Canadian-based DNA 11. “There’s also a huge explosion of interest in forensics, CSI (Crime Scene Investigation television series) and DNA.”
The New York version of the popular crime drama, "CSI: NY," even used a piece of DNA 11 art in a recent episode where a suspect was caught after her DNA portrait was matched to a crime without the need for a warrant.
But Salamunovic — who likened DNA art to the work of Latvian-born U.S. abstract impressionist painter Mark Rothko — said this could never actually happen in real life.
“By the time the DNA is extracted and sent to us as a digital file it doesn’t have any forensic value. It’s a beautiful image, it’s a unique signature, but there’s no scientific data in it,” he said.
The human genetic code amounts to a 3 billion letter DNA book, but only one-tenth of 1 percent of DNA differs from one person to the next.
High demand
DNA is used to solve crimes, identify bodies, and determine paternity and can be extracted from samples of blood, bone, hair and other body tissues, but it is typically taken from a swab of the cheek inside a person’s mouth. It is a goldmine for scientists developing everything from vaccines to crops.
DNA 11 art has become one of the best-selling products at New York’s Museum of Modern Art store. A person’s DNA profile is printed on to a colored canvas chosen at www.dna11.com.
Salamunovic said that since the company started in 2005, thousands of prints have been sold in 52 countries and demand for the portraits, which start at $390, was growing at about 20 percent a month.
New York company DNA Art Forms, www.dna-art.com, aims to personalize DNA portraits further. Artist Catherine Dapra, who completed her first DNA painting in 2003, paints — rather than prints — a DNA profile based on conversations with clients.
“I want to be able to listen and then I want to be able to work with you to channel that into a piece of art,” she said.
Dapra and partner Paul Zawierka were inspired to create DNA art after likening it to modern art produced in the 1980s.
She also fuses two DNA profiles, highlighting similarities and differences between siblings, couples and friends. Her portraits start at $2,000.
“The most rewarding part of the process for me is the intimacy that comes from exploring how you communicate your uniqueness and the DNA is just the beginning of it,” she said.
