My work uses mold spores collected from my environment to make the invisible microbiome visible, while also documenting and preserving a record of microbial life around me. I create large-scale installations with microorganisms cultivated on panels of various sizes. These panels are then assembled into abstract landscapes, unveiling the unseen world through organic growth and interactions. I gather these organisms from soil, plants, and trees, isolating them to study their natural behaviors. In a controlled, yet habitable environment, I observe how these living beings interact, struggle, and coexist across each panel's surface. During germination, the mold spores leave traces—colors, textures, and shapes—directly on the panel, which functions as a living canvas. Once finished, these microorganisms shift from the micro to the macro scale, becoming visible to the eye. In this process, mold spores serve as both subject and medium—transforming into a dynamic, expressive form of abstraction. Through my work, I reveal and build invisible landscapes, making the microscopic world tangible and perceptible.

My background in microbiology has a profound influence on my artistic practice. My previous research focused on pathogen biology, investigating how these organisms exist, interact, and impact their environment. This scientific inquiry—centered on understanding microbial life dynamics—now informs my artwork's conceptual and practical aspects.

I approach my art with the same precision and methodology I used in the laboratory. Through my work, I explore simple living organisms, cultivating them in controlled environments to observe their interactions. I meticulously document how these microorganisms engage with one another within Petri dishes, capturing the intricate behaviors, patterns, and aesthetics that emerge through their interactions. These processes reveal scientific insights and unexpected beauty as the microbes imprint vibrant colors, textures, and organic forms.

By merging scientific methods with artistic expression, I create a unique window into the hidden world of microbes, bridging the gap between the laboratory and the gallery, the microscopic and the tangible.

Due to their microscopic size, microorganisms often go unnoticed, representing an unseen world hidden from our everyday perception. To bring this world into view, I use growth media—a nutrient-rich base made from potatoes—to create a living platform for the microbes I cultivate. Essentially, I construct a small, self-contained 'world' for these organisms, providing the conditions they need to thrive. Once introduced to this environment, the microorganisms are left to grow, interact, and exist according to their own natural rules, creating unpredictable patterns and forms that reveal the complexity of life on a microscopic scale.

When cultured in growth media, microorganisms reveal themselves through vibrant colors. These colors emerge from pigments within their cellular structures and from the compounds they secrete, which can alter the color of the growth medium itself. Through this process, the once-invisible microorganisms become visible, transforming the microscopic world into a tangible, observable landscape of color and form.

2025
Mold Spores on boards covered with epoxy resin
8x10'

At Staten Island Museum, NY

Contamination '66'
2025
Mold Spores on boards covered with epoxy resin
8x10'

At Staten Island Museum, NY

2025
Mold Spores on boards covered with epoxy resin
8x10'

At Staten Island Museum, NY

2025
Mold spores on boards covered with resin
10x10'

At the Baltimore Museum of Art
Created with mold spores taken from Wyman Park, Baltimore, MD

2025
Mold spores on boards covered with resin
10x10'

At the Baltimore Museum of Art
Created with mold spores taken from Wyman Park, Baltimore, MD

Contamination (39° 19.718′ N, 76° 37.326′ W)
2025
Mold spores on boards covered with resin
10x10'

At the Baltimore Museum of Art
Created with mold spores taken from Wyman Park, Baltimore, MD

Echoes of Nature
2023
Documentation of Mold spores
1:51 min

Echoes of Nature explores the profound human impact on the environment, addressing pressing issues such as biodiversity loss and climate change. The project began with a Polaroid photograph of a landscape, serving as both a visual and conceptual foundation. To emphasize the fragility of these environments, I introduced mold spores collected from the same location onto the Polaroid, allowing the spores to gradually consume and transform the image. A time-lapse video captures this week-long process of decay, condensing it into two minutes, accompanied by the sound of an alarm—slowed down to underscore the urgency of our environmental crisis. Echoes of Nature serves as both a reflection and a call to action, reminding us of the delicate balance we are disrupting and urging collective responsibility to protect and restore our planet for a sustainable future.