Seeing Inside Our Brains

In this body of work, I aim to combine my two interests of neuroscience and painting in a way that is both visually appealing, and provides insight to those who have not studied the brain. Science and art are often seen on two sides of the spectrum. However, I hope to break this trope by anthropomorphizing the mechanisms of the brain into the world in which we live.

Synaptic transmission is the basic form in which brain cells communicate with one another. These brain cells, or neurons, are perfectly designed with tree-like branches that spread out to receive as much information as possible. The information travels down the neuron until it is relayed onto adjacent branches, allowing us to process the stimuli around us into something meaningful. This process is often represented in textbooks as circles, arrows, and the occasional triangle to show simple educational schematics. In my body of work, I abstract the process and transform it into a dialogue between two living plant-like creatures existing in a tangible world outside of our brains.

Similarly, mechanisms for audition can be seen under two perspectives: the textbook version shows swirls and lines to represent the inner ear and sensory hair cells that allow for sound processing, while I see a colorful Rube Goldberg contraption meticulously designed so that we can perceive the world around us in a unique way. These processes become macroscopic, visceral, and playful. Through my work, I aim to show what occurs in our brains in a way that allows for others to visualize previously unimaginable systems of the body.