AMATEUR GODS
In the series “Amateur Gods” the artists poses the question of the self-construction of the SELF, opening debates on the body and human identity, making comments on genetics, technology, and society. In an autoreferential investigation, she hereby seeks to rethink our essence and its haphazardness, delving into what is it that constructs us as beings, that ensures our uniqueness in the midst of a plurality of existences.
In human beings, each cell normally contains twenty-three pairs of chromosomes, which carry our DNA organized in 4 nucleotide bases: adenine, cytosine, guanine, and thymine. All the data that dictates our body and psyche. What will my eye colour be like? Will I be more prone to contracting skin cancer? Will I be afraid of heights? In times of groundbreaking technology and genetic engineering advances, Englebert explores ways in which technology and its newest discoveries can reshape our being, with particular interest in the “CRISPR” tool, which allows to “cut and paste” different genes’ segments.
Blurring the boundaries between art and science, the artist worked with a sample of her own saliva, which she had analyzed in order to get her full genetic genetic sequencing. Systematizing her own genetic data, she conceives her own organism as another platform for information and manipulation, while exploring the self-portrait in its most intimate dimension. In this way, Englebert reflects on how a simple set of letters can condense all the information necessary to construct her identity, conceiving the self as pure information, which can therefore be constructed and modified with simple data variations and misplacements.
This sort of intimate self-portrait becomes a multiple and mutable expression. At times, she herself plays at reconstructing and reconfiguring her own essence, while in other instances her genetic sequence is handed over to the audience so that they themselves can officiate as Amateur Gods in a playful experience that has the power to reimagine her being. In other situations, the purely cold and technological realm intersects with the gesture of handmade calligraphy. Ultimately, this information so susceptible to modification, and therefore powerful enough to modify my being, is set in stone.
In a ceaseless journey through
means of portraying myself,
my essence seems to always be
slipping through my fingers...
Isabel Englebert
The sculptures
A synthesized version of the genetic information of each one of my twenty-three pairs of chromosomes is engraved on a different plexiglass piece. “Amateur Gods” is thus constituted by twenty-three components representing my most intimate self. In a sort of performative act, I become a demiurge of my own being. in this way, I assemble and disassemble my essence, playing at inventing possibilities by combining these twenty-three pieces in different ways. Once I have reconstructed my being, I congeal the resulting piece, turning my imaginary self into a living sculpture.
"Amateur Gods: The Sculptures", at Lorena del Pilar Art Gallery, Buenos Aires, 2025
This series is composed of the following works:
AMATEUR GODS: IN GOLD
2023
Artist’s genome
Gold leaf coated engraved plexiglass
Variable dimensions
The artist plays “Amateur Gods” herself, and tries different morphologies and dispositions until she got to the final disposition she was happy with, her autoconstructed SELF. The piece was then coated in gold leaf imbuing the work with a commentary on the perceived value and sanctity of the genetic code. Gold, historically a symbol of divinity, immortality, and unchanging value, parallels the immutable essence of our genetic information, elevating the artwork's individual elements to a status akin to sacred relics.
This use of a precious metal challenges the viewer to consider the worth of our biological data in an era where such information can be easily edited and commodified. The gold leaf serves as a physical manifestation of the metaphorical 'genetic gold' - the untapped potential within each sequence that holds the power to redefine our very being. In this gilded state, "Amateur Gods" becomes a luxurious altar to the self, at once celebrating the uniqueness of the individual and critiquing the societal and ethical implications of genetic manipulation and biotechnological advancements.
AMATEUR GODS: AS CLEAR AS IT GETS
2023
Artist’s genome
Engraved transparent plexiglass
Variable dimensions
The artist plays “Amateur Gods” herself, and tries different morphologies and dispositions until she got to the final disposition she was happy with, her autoconstructed SELF Choosing to use transparent acrylic in "Amateur Gods" brings forth a powerful conceptual statement about the universality and purity of genetic information. The artwork underlines the commonality in the human condition, emphasizing that beneath the surface, our fundamental genetic structures are more alike than they are different. The transparency metaphorically represents the openness of our genetic 'book'—one that is universally readable, inviting contemplation on the shared human experience, unobscured by the diversities that color perception. Moreover, this approach signifies the vulnerability and fragility of our genetic essence. In a time when genetic information is increasingly accessible and modifiable, transparent acrylic symbolizes a future where privacy is translucent, and genetic data is an open frontier for exploration and alteration. This creates a canvas for discourse on the implications of such transparency, provoking a dialogue on the ethics of genetic visibility within the larger societal framework. The clear material acts as a looking glass through which we view the blueprint of life— untinted, unaltered, and strikingly raw.
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AMATEUR GODS: MIAMI VIBES
2023
Edition of 23 (un-numbered)
Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity signed by the artist
Artist’s genome
Engraved plexiglass
Variable dimensions
This version of Amateur Gods, is an edition developed for the Bass Museum, of Miami Beach. It comes in a “Performance Box”. In this case, the user is invited to play Amateur Gods himself, arranging and rearranging the elements containing the artist´s most intimate information according to his own context-specific interest. The piece, manipulated by the spectator, unfolds and shifts position, continually proposing new layouts and, therefore, a new total form. I propose an open morphology subject to the spectator’s desire, who plays the part of the scientist and Amateur God, constructing new versatile, mutant, and dynamic imaginaries of the body and the self.
Amateur Gods: Miami Vibes, at the Bass Museum, Miami
CHROM #1
CHROM #7
Artist´s DNA information
Handwritten paper
Plexiglass
100 x 100 cm
In human beings, each cell normally contains twenty-three pairs of chromosomes, which carry our DNA (genetic information) organized in 4 nucleotide bases: adenine, cytosine, guanine, and thymine. All the data that dictates our body and psyche. What will my eye colour be like? Will I be more prone to contracting skin cancer? Will I be afraid of heights? The artist handwrites her genetic information of her Chromosome number 1, highlighting the autoconstruction of the self, she basically “writes her own code”. She also plays with the tension between the dimensions. The letters and numbers that shape absolutely her whole being, and that are present in an infra minuscule way inside the deepest part of her cells, take on an enormous dimension and are externalized. to a gigantic scale, larger than the human dimension. That intimate information is then poured into the public sphere, exhibited and unbridled. Each piece within this series represents a different chromosome, dyeing itself with its own color that bestows uniqueness within our being.
Artist´s DNA information
Handwritten paper
Plexiglass
100 x 100 cm
"Amateur Gods", Pinta Miami, 2023