Dr. Steven Kurtz

In April 2008, a federal judge dismissed accusations of bioterrorism and wire fraud brought against Dr. Kurtz by the FBI for his possession of scientific materials used in his award-winning art practice.

Dr. Steven Kurtz, associate professor of Visual Studies at SUNY Buffalo, is a founding member of the internationally acclaimed art and theater group Critical Art Ensemble (CAE).

In May of 2004, Dr. Kurtz was detained by the FBI on suspicion of "bioterrorism" for his possession of scientific materials used in his award-winning art practice. Kurtz uses biological materials in educational exhibits and performances designed to inspire debate about political and social issues surrounding the new biotechnologies.

When the "bioterrorism" accusations proved groundless, he was then charged with mail and wire fraud stemming from his acquisition of harmless bacterial cultures for use in one of Critical Art Ensemble's educational projects-charges which carried a possible sentence of 20 years in jail under the USA PATRIOT Act. In April 2008, a federal judge dismissed those charges.


About the Critical Art Ensemble:

Founded in 1987 by Steven Kurtz and Steven Barnes, CAE is an award-winning collective of artists of various specializations—including computer graphics and web design, wetware, film/video, photography, text art, book art, and performance—dedicated to exploring the intersections between art, technology, political activism, and critical theory.

For two decades CAE has produced and exhibited art that examines questions surrounding information, communications, and bio-technologies. The collective has performed and produced a wide variety of projects for an international audience at diverse venues ranging from the street, to the museum, to the Internet, and has been invited to exhibit and perform in many of the world’s leading cultural institutions—including The Whitney Museum and The New Museum in NYC; The Corcoran Museum in Washington D.C.; The ICA, London; The MCA, Chicago; Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt; Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris; The London Museum of Natural History; The Matadero, Madrid; Kiasma Museum of Contemposry Art, Helsinki; the Moscow Art Center; ZKM, Karlsruhe; and many more.

The collective has written 6 books, and its writings have been translated into at least 18 languages. CAE’s work has been covered by most major art journals, including Artforum, Kunstforum, and The Drama Review, which dedicated a special section to CAE in 2000; and is in the permanent collections of numerous museums, including The Museum of Modern Art and the Neue Gallerie, Graz; The Tate Gallery, London; The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Library; Banff Centre for the Arts; The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Critical Art Ensemble is the recipient of several prestigious awards, including the 2007 Andy Warhol Foundation Wynn Kramarsky Freedom of Artistic Expression Grant, the 2004 John Lansdown Award for Multimedia, and the 2004 Leonardo New Horizons Award for Innovation.

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For booking availability and press inquiries:
Please contact Steven Kurtz's speaker agents at the Evil Twin Booking Agency.

email: Liz Cole and Scott Beibin [ info (at) eviltwinbooking (dot) com ]
+1.215.473.0308 | eviltwinbooking.com

Evil Twin Booking Agency p.o. box 30726 philadelphia pa 19104 usa

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