under the microscope

Pluropotency stem cells and organoids are the little darlings of the science world. They mirror back to us our ability to evolve and become our most authentic selves. In the labs they are tools to advance our understanding of human biology, but to me as an artist, they create a desire to achieve the infinite potentials of mankind's humanity and change the way we see the world. I have not only been inspired by PSC and organoids, but by the conditions the biologists have created to view them. I imagine a world where most illnesses are healed through stem cell replacement and where animals no longer have to suffer for our food supply. These two advancements alone will profoundly affect our empathy and relationships with others, eliminating much of the physical pain suffered by our mammalian community. PSC and organoids will help to create a kinder, more gentle living environment for us all, but will also create a new way of seeing the world. Biologists have been skewing the colors of their specimens for years with fluorescent dyes and studying them under uv lighting. I have immersed myself in this trippy world of biological fluorescence and have been depicting organoids, some recognizable and some beyond those of the brain, liver, breast, retina, muscle, heart and others. When I turn on the uv lighting, my color palate changes, and I see the world a little differently. Much like when I looked through a teleidoscope for the first time, I no longer see my environment as I once did. I see a new way of working, inspired by technologies necessary to advance understanding of human biology. As in vitro models of human tissue progress and as scientists and artists collaborate, visions of the world will continue to evolve.