Novogen
Dániel Szalai

Novogen (2017–2018) is a project focusing on the eponymous breed of chickens, genetically engineered to lay eggs for the production of vaccines and other pharmaceutical products.

Considering Novogen White chickens and their role in the pharmaceutical industry, the work poses vital questions and dilemmas about humankind’s relationship to nature and technology and calls us to consider the price paid to maintain our health and longevity. At the same time, by taking the chicken as a metaphor, it reflects on the late-capitalist concepts of workforce and our commodified existence.

The core of the project is formed by 168 individual portraits of Novogen White hens, complemented by a series of photographs following the egg’s way through the process of vaccine production. It also includes extracts from the management guide of Novogen White hens and the marketing materials of the company which produces them.

About the Artist
Daniel Szalai (born 1991) is a Hungarian artist. His projects investigate peculiar manifestations of human-animal relationships and reflect on societal, political and economic anomalies. He mixes different media in his artistic practice and also works with spatial installations. Szalai studied photography at the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design in Budapest and the University of Applied Arts in Vienna, and he also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Art and Design Theory. Szalai is a member of the Carte Blanche Collective, the Studio of Young Artists’ Association and the Studio of Young Photographers, Hungary. He lives and works in Budapest.
danielszalai.com
(source https://danielszalai.com/CV-Bio)

About the Publisher
The Eriskay Connection is a Dutch studio for book design and an independent publisher. They focus on contemporary storytelling at the intersection of photography, research and writing.
eriskayconnection.com
(source: https://www.eriskayconnection.com/content/4-about-us)