2019 Acquisition: Daniel Rozin
Daniel Rozin’s Selfish Gene Mirror simulates the behavior of genes fighting to reproduce. This piece draws inspiration from the Neo-Darwinistic theory described in Richard Dawkins’ book “The Selfish Gene.” The theory proposes that evolutionary change is caused by “selfish genes” whose sole motivation is to propagate in the gene population. The image a viewer sees is composed by the artist’s customized “Darwinian algorithm” in which a “gene” is a line of about ten pixels. Each gene is programmed to compete for its ongoing existence—thus exhibiting “selfish” behavior. Of the roughly 10,000 active members in this digital gene pool, only half will survive, replicate and propagate the reflected image.
For nearly three decades, Rozin’s interactive installations and sculptures have integrated the viewer, in real time, to create a representation of the viewer’s likeness in the object. Reflection and surface transformation become a means to explore human behavior, representation, and perception.
Past exhibitions of his work include the Reina Sofia National Museum, Madrid, Spain; Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England; The Garage CCC, Moscow, Russia; The Israel Museum, Israel, Jerusalem; Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI; Taiwan National Museum of Fine Art, Taichung, Taiwan; CAM Raleigh, Raleigh, NC; Perot Museum of Nature and Science, Dallas, TX; Katonah Museum of Art, New York, NY; ICA Portland, Portland, ME; Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota, FL; the Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, MA; and several others. His work is in the NYU collection, the Chrysler Museum of Art, the Exploratorium, San Francisco, 21C Museum, as well as other public and private collections.
Rozin is currently an Associate Arts Professor in the Interactive Telecommunications Program at New York University’s Tisch School Of The Arts. He earned a BD at the Jerusalem Bezalel Academy of Art and Design and an MPS from NYU.
