KOEN VANMECHELEN (Sint-Truiden, Belgium, 1965). "Kitovu", 2016. Mixed media (neon, horns, cowhide, ropes and other materials) in plexiglass urn. Unique piece. Attached certificate issued by the artist. Measurements: 64 x 76 x 33 cm (urn). Osotwa (Kitovu) means "umbilical cord" in the language of the Masai. This work, titled Osotwa, is linked to Koen Vanmechelen's and Labiomista's joint project. It is the result of the artist's collaboration with the city of Genk. An experimental idea born from a shared vision of the potential of identity and diversity. As part of the transdisciplinary team, Koen Vanmechelen assigned several themes to a group of people and a work of art, as a tool for reflection and regrouping and as a source of inspiration. This work is the indivisible part of the conclusions reached by the second working group, whose discussion had revolved around freedom. Koen Vanmechelen is a conceptual artist of Belgian origin. He began his career in the early 1990s. His work focuses on biocultural diversity. Around this theme, Vanmechelen has also collaborated with scientists from different disciplines. These cross-border projects earned him an honorary doctorate from Hasselt University in 2010 and the Golden Nica Hybrid Art Prix Ars Electronica in 2013.Koen Vanmechelen is best known for his The Cosmopolitan Chicken Project or (CCP), a unique art project he launched in the late 1990s. This project focuses on the chicken and, more specifically, on crossing national chicken breeds to turn them into "cosmopolitan chickens". In 2018, the 22nd generation within this global project was born at the Serlachius Museum in Finland: the Danish Malinois, a cross between a Finnish breed and the Danish Malinois (CCP21) that hatched at the Danish Biennale a year earlier. Meanwhile, the various cosmopolitan chickens carry genes from Belgium, France, England, the United States, Germany, the Netherlands, Mexico, Thailand, Brazil, Turkey, Cuba, Italy, Russia, China, Egypt, Senegal, Slovenia, Austria, Indonesia and Denmark. Biocultural diversity and the resulting interaction between art and science are the main theme of his work. Vanmechelen often collaborates with scientists and experts from various disciplines, such as Jean-Jacques Cassiman, Willem Ombelet, Maarten Larmuseau, Rik Pinxten and Marleen Temmerman. He uses innovative technologies such as 3D scanning, morphometry, 3D printing and interactive visualization techniques. His work is multimedia and ranges from expressive paintings and drawings to photography, video, installations, glasswork and wood sculptures. The common thread that often recurs is the chicken and the egg. Over the years, these objects have become symbols connecting scientific, political, philosophical and ethical issues. Throughout his prolific career he has had solo and group exhibitions at the National Gallery (London), Victoria and Albert Museum (London), Museum Kunstpalast (Düsseldorf), Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ (Amsterdam), Macro (Rome), MAD Museum (NY), Slot Belvedere (Vienna), ZKM (Karlsruhe) and Pushkin Museum (Moscow), among others. In addition to the Venice Biennale, his work has been exhibited at the Moscow, Dakar, Havana and Poznan Biennials, the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, the Guangzhou Triennial, Manifesta 9 and dOCUMENTA (13).