At the STARTS PRIZE held at Ars Electronica 2017, the world's oldest international art and science festival for media art, Hiroko Yakushimaru's "I'm Humanity" won the Grand Prize in the Artistic Exploration category.

Yakushimaru has previously collaborated with FACETASM to create items linked to the albums of his band, Sotaiseiriron, and FACETASM also designed the costumes for the live performance of this award-winning work, which is also posted on YouTube.

Since the STARTS PRIZE was established last year, this is the first time a Japanese artist has won the Grand Prize. The other award, "ROCK PRINT" by Swiss artists, won the Innovative Collaboration category.

Yakushimaru's winning work is a musical composition created using the base sequence of bacteria (microorganisms) that have long lived in Japan. The song's information was DNA-encoded, artificially synthesized, and incorporated into the chromosomes of the microorganisms to create what could be considered bioart.

The work was released in three forms: digital music, CD, and genetically modified microorganisms. It was exhibited at the "KENPOKU ART 2016 Ibaraki Prefectural Art Festival" in Ibaraki in September 2016, and at the Yamaguchi Information Research Center (YCAM) in December 2016, garnering attention as the first public exhibition of genetically modified microorganisms approved by the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry. Yakushimaru's band, Sotaiseiriron, wore FACETASM costumes during a live performance at the event.

Ars Electronica has been held in Linz, Austria since 1979, and since 1986 has been run as an independent arts festival. In 1996 and 1997, Japanese artists such as Fujihata Masaki, Sakamoto Ryuichi + Iwai Toshio, and Higashiizumi Ichiro won the Golden Nica Award, known as the Oscar of the media art world, and since 2000, Japanese artists such as Ikeda Ryoji of Dumb Type, Miwa Masahiro, Tone Yasunao, and Exonemo have won it. Many Japanese artists have also been selected for Excellence Awards and Honorary Awards every year, and Yakushimaru's work this year proved that Japanese media art remains highly regarded in Europe.

Text: Tatsuya Noda