Presented by ShanghART Gallery

Boedi Widjaja’s Immortal Words presents DNA artworks dispensed through gachapon machines, playfully illustrating the intricate connections between art and science. In consultation with geneticist Associate Professor Eric Yap, Boedi materialises—into DNA molecules—ultraconserved words believed to have survived for 15,000 years since the Ice Age. Continuing Boedi’s decade-long research into body, memory, language, and encoding, the project explores through the ancient words our deep ancestral past and the memories that we hold within.

Immortal Words is supported by the National Arts Council, as part of Singapore Art Week; additional support by the Institute for Digital Molecular Analytics and Science, and Startbahn, Inc.; curatorial essay by Loredana Pazzini-Paracciani; and produced by Audrey Koh.

The gachapon machines dispense ultraconserved words in Southeast Asian languages—Ashes, Black, Fire, to Flow, to Give, Hand, to Hear, Mother, Old, to Pull, to Spit, Worm—in micro vials of DNA suspensions for visitors to take home. Immortal Words editioned bioart has a permanent digital archive. Every vial is backed by an artwork authenticity certificate issued on Startbahn’s blockchain infrastructure, Startrail (SRR). Buyers can receive the certificate through Startbahn’s FUN FAN NFT application by scanning the QR code enclosed in the capsule