DNA 11 Portraits: Science as Art

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then these personalized DNA portraits from DNA 11 put an entirely new spin on artistic interpretation.

Nazim Ahmed and Adrian Salamunovic formed DNA 11, their multimillion-dollar company, on a serendipitous whim of creativity. Originally, it wasn't a business venture. Nazim, a geneticist, and Adrian, a designer, are best friends and couldn't be in more opposite professions. One day while standing in Nazim's apartment, Adrian glanced down at a brochure from Nazim's lab and noticed an image that piqued his interest. "It looked like a Mark Rothko painting to me," says Adrian.

He was looking at a picture of gel electrophoresis, a process that separates DNA into its individual genetic markers. Each line you see is actually an individual gene. Since each of us is made up of numerous genes -- or "lines" in the image above, if you will -- our genetic makeup can add up to one really cool work of art -- a portrait of the very genes that make each of us who we are. (Each DNA 11 portrait features several genetic markers, not your entire human genome.)

After discovering this, Adrian asked his friend if he could make one for himself to hang in his loft. Before they knew it, all their friends wanted one too. "I was the first customer," Adrian says. "It's what I like to call geek chic."

Started in 2005 in an apartment, DNA 11 grew quickly and now has welcomed customers like Elijah Wood, Mandy Moore and the entire cast of "CSI." The MOMA store even features their product now. But it wasn't easy to get off the ground. When I asked him if they had difficultly finding a lab to agree to the process -- labs are for science, not art, right? -- he laughed. "I can't tell you how many people slammed the door in our face," he says. "Finally, one lab saw our vision and understood us."

The process of ordering your own DNA painting is simple: You swab your cheek, and send the sample directly to the lab. When it arrives, the lab, unaware of your identity, is given a serial number and once a picture of your genetic material is snapped, the image is sent to DNA 11. The company applies the color scheme you choose, sizes it on canvas, and ships it off.

"No two images will ever look the same" Adrian says, "and people send in all different kinds of DNA samples. They get their pets done, or get an image for everyone in the family. Married couples get them and hang them over their bed. It's not narcissistic, like hanging your picture over the fireplace. It's deeper than that. It represents who they are, where they come from, their families."



Starting at $199, there are loads of options to consider, such as the style, color, size and frame. You can even get your signature put on the lower right corner. And now they offer a free "genepak" that identifies the specific genes on your print. It specifically isolates 4 genes that they call the "love gene" (called NGF2, apparently it causes you to get those butterflies in your stomach), the "sport gene" (expressed in all of your muscle cells), the "hair gene" (determines hair color) and the "brain gene" (involved in brain development).