Massimiliano Simons awarded funding for innovative art–science project on hybrid plants

The Flemish Government has granted an Innovative Partnerships subsidy to “Entangled Genes: Sharpening the Public Debate on Hybrid Plants”, a new artistic research project that aims to deepen societal reflection on genetically modified plants. The project is led by bio-artist Matthijs De Block in close collaboration with four research groups at the VIB-Plant Systems Biology Centre.

About the project

Transgenic plants — organisms that contain genes from other species — play an increasingly significant role in agriculture and scientific research. They promise more sustainable food production and improved crop performance, but also raise concerns about ecological risks, patent monopolies, and ethical questions surrounding the manipulation of life. They challenge long-held ideas about species boundaries and biological identity.

Positioned within this complex terrain, the project explores the figure of the chimera — a hybrid organism symbolising the merging of what traditionally seems incompatible. Through innovative artistic methods and the use of previously unexplored plant tissues and transgenic DNA, De Block examines how hybrid plants reshape our cultural and philosophical understanding of nature.

Massimiliano Simons joins the project as a key partner. His role focuses on translating the emotional and ideological tensions surrounding genetically modified organisms into broader ethical and philosophical inquiry.

In collaboration with Timelab and Gluon, the project will develop four new art installations, organise public events and debates, and build a peer-to-peer network that actively engages citizens, makers, scientists, and social entrepreneurs. Four online essays and a two-episode podcast on hybridisation and plant identity will further open the conversation to diverse audiences, culminating in a public exhibition at VIB.

With “Entangled Genes”, the team brings scientific innovation and artistic imagination together to spark a renewed and more nuanced public debate on genetically modified plants.