LAMINAproject was invited to exhibit a curated selection of Biology-inspired paintings and drawings by Jody Rasch at Regeneron's October 2022 corporate event: The Power of Purpose, held in Greenwich CT. We exhibited works from several current and recent series including Beauty-Skin Cell, Thought, Healing and Disease. The presentation was complemented by a video presentation that explained the science and broader meaning behind Rasch's work.
Michal Gavish has been invited to participate in the Changwon Sculpture Biennale 2022 in South Korea.
Gavish will be working on site for three weeks to produce her new fabric installation on Neuronal Brain Networks.
New York based gallery LAMINAproject will present artist Shanthi Chandrasekar's rhythmic hanging piece, titled Entropy: Macrostates & Microstates, made of hundreds of hand-punched paper circles, portrays randomness within physical systems. Chandrasekar’s delicate suspension of reiterating disks cascade from the ceiling to the floor following a fractal reduction where the smaller parts mirror the larger ones.
The biomorphic art of Amie Esslinger draws the viewer into a miniature world of images that evoke microbes, cells, and viruses. Esslinger’s artistic process mimics the planned chaos of organic processes and takes the form of abstract, richly layered assemblages crafted from diverse materials, including felt, eyelashes, burnt elk leather, glitter, resin, and more.
On January 29, the Michael C. Carlos Museum of Emory University will present the thought-provoking new exhibition, And I Must Scream, developed by Dr. Amanda H. Hellman, the museum's curator of African art. The show features photographs, sculptures, paintings, drawings, and site-specific installations from ten local, national and international contemporary artists. The accompanying programming will bring scholars and artists from around the world to teach classes, facilitate performances, and create new works of art.
At VOLTA New York 2022 LAMINAproject is presenting the work of three artists: Amie Esslinger, Michal Gavish, and Jody Rasch.
Amie Esslinger is equally accomplished as a painter, sculptor, ceramist, and textile artist and that is evident when looking at her dazzling and complex mixed-media works based on motifs from microbiology. Many are constructed layer by layer, with both traditional and very unique materials, and all have a very sculptural and tactile feel to them. Esslinger’s work goes beyond the visual in terms of meaning and message and her references to microbiology are suggestive of the complicated parts and systems that compose and surround us, but cannot be seen by the naked eye. The forms found in microbiology are visually beautiful and are governed by uniform laws, yet influenced by chance and opportunity. As the artist explains, “I attempt to generate an aesthetic that echoes the complexity inherent in natural systems, while creating new mysterious organisms, both alluring and repelling.”
For Michal Gavish, multimedia artist and former research scientist, viruses, proteins, and crystals aren’t abstractions—they are figures, objects and nano-scale landscapes. She is captivated by these minute shapes that are hidden from the naked eye, interpreting them in their intricate environments. Using innovative techniques, Gavish translates visual research data into paintings and soft installations, sometimes drawing and painting and at other times developing three-dimensional works by layering original chemical paint-combinations onto translucent fabric and fragile paper. The resulting works give presence to the microscopic living formations that we know exist but can hardly imagine. In her Neurodiversity series from 2022, the artist paints neurological portraits which make visible the fact that nobody is really neurotypical; our brains are infinitely complicated and each is unique.
Jody Rasch’s work is drawn from various science practices, including astronomy, biology, and sub-atomic physics. In his subject matter and techniques, Rasch builds on historical concepts and follows in the footsteps of artists such as Kandinsky, Dali, and Picasso and movements from Pointillism and Constructivism to Dada and Surrealism that were influenced by science. Abstract yet recognizable to scientists, the stunning patterns and colors in his drawings and paintings elevate the movement and behavior of their subjects. Particle showers are painted as glowing traces of post-collision movement, the blueness of Einstein’s ring is accentuated, and skin cells are transformed into a vibrant multi-color wonderland. Rasch brings images to a more human scale by enlarging the infinitesimally small or closing the distance to cosmic phenomena, making these hidden and remote elements of the universe relatable to our existence in it. As an expression of both the patterns of the natural world and the metaphors underlying modern science, his work reminds us that there’s more to the universe than meets the eye.
The exhibition is curated by Omo Misha, and a percentage of the proceeds will go to the City College Center for the Arts' Youth Arts Empowerment Program
Michal Gavish was paired with the Polish poet, Julia Fiedorczuk, and responded to her poems called Psalms. She created her own "micro" psalms, a series of scrolls with images from genetic research, words genetics coding, the original poem and from the book of psalms. She tried to transform visually in the rhythm of the poems.
Plain Sight DC and the EU National Institutes of Culture in Washington, DC (EUNIC) present A Window to Europe: Through Literature and Art, a series of short exhibitions featuring eleven visual artists from the Washington, DC region who will create work in response to eleven books by European writers, as part of the 2021 Europe Readr project. This exhibition series is presented in partnership with the EUNIC Global and the Delegation of the European Union to the United States.
The Europe Readr is a curated set of European literature brought together under the concept of “The Future of Living” to present a variety of perspectives that contribute to the debate on the future of Europe and to put an emphasis on the importance of culture as a driving force of international integration and sustainable development.
Featured exhibiting artists’ works will explore themes ranging from vulnerability, the natural world, identity, competing human economic and ecological needs, nostalgia, and the limitations of our physical bodies.
As a trained scientist and artist, Michal Gavish works at the intersection of art and biology. Inspired by the colors and shapes produced by genetic DNA and viral sequencing research, Gavish adopts these visual languages to construct immersive environments. Gavish works with microscopic imagery to inform the resulting large translucent paintings that are thinly layered to create her environments. As visitors interact within the space, these fragile works shift and react, immersing the visitors in both the complexity and vitality of the microscopic structures.
Julie Harrison has been invited to create a site-responsive outdoor work at The Residency Project, located in Pasadena, California. Bodies #8332: Pasadena, composed of images of microorganisms found in soil and plants indigenous to the Los Angeles-Southern California area, will be up from May 1 – June 30, 2021.
The Philosophy of Physics- Jody Rasch
Jody’s artistic work uses the concepts of science to explain our place in the universe. He uses the images of physics, from particle accelerators to the recent imaging of the hydrogen atom to explore what the subatomic world has to say about how we perceive the macro world around us. In this talk, he will discuss how his work relates not only to the work being done in physics, but also its relationship to artists of the past, from medieval painting to impressionism and abstract expressionism.
Click HERE to Register for the free Gallery Talk on the Fermilab website
“I had always been interested in science, particularly physics, and read a lot about relativity and particle physics. The realm of particle physics is like discovering a new philosophy. Particles can be everywhere at once and can both be waves or particles, depending on how we observe them. In particle physics, nothing is certain. Physics tries to answer the big questions on the nature of the universe. I wanted to find a way to represent these concepts in my art. Some of the images I use are of bubble chambers, where atoms are broken down into subatomic particles, each with its own mass and charge, which make different paths in the bubble chamber. I try to incorporate these themes into the images by using phrases from particle physics such as “User Created Reality” or formulas such as the one for Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle. The patterns are beautiful, and seem like abstract patterns if one didn’t know what the subject matter is.
The exhibition also includes three works on gravitational lensing which are based on the work Fermilab is doing to discover both dark matter and dark energy. The dark matter acts as a lens to bend visible light. Even though dark matter cannot be seen, it does have a gravitational effect that impacts the amount the visible light that is bent. I also wanted to include two recent spectra pieces, as the energy released by a particle is based on the energy levels of the electrons. Based on quantum physics, electrons have defined energy levels, which creates the emission or absorption lines observed in the spectra.”
– Jody Rasch
Art and science – they may seem like opposites, but throughout history there have been visionaries who have brought together these contrasting subjects.
The Art of Science explores the work of 40 such artists and artist-scientists, uncovering how these innovators have designed futuristic technology centuries ahead of its time, investigated time and space through abstract art, and created sculpture informed by NASA technology.
An expertly curated selection of artists from many different cultures and eras – including Huang Quan, Leonardo da Vinci, Johannes Vermeer, Anna Atkins, Olafur Eliasson and Anicka Yi – this book tells the story of the vital partnership between art and science, with over 200 lavish illustrations.
The event is the first part of Home Room Exhibition. The second part will be a gallery exhibition at Radiator Lab in spring 2021 at Radiator Gallery 10-61 Jackson Ave Long Island City, NY 11106
Shanthi will be collaborating with Leihae, who works at the intersection of physics, visual arts, and literature. She is an associate researcher at the University of Paris, where she studies the nature of spacetime with the gravitational waves signals emitted by black holes. She has previously extensively worked in the field of particle physics and has occupied positions in several research institutions and collaborations worldwide. She draws inspiration from her scientific research into her artistic practice, that takes the shape of illustrations, collages, curation and written pieces. Ultimately, she is as fascinated by the rigorous logic of science than the exhilarating freedom of art, and the beauty she can find in each.
We are pleased to announce our partnership with ARTSY, the leading online platform which reaches a global audience of art collectors and enthusiasts. LAMINAproject has its own dedicated page on ARTSY with works currently available for purchase by Jody Rasch, Mark Pomilio, Michal Gavish, and Shanthi Chandrasekar. We are adding works and other artists on an ongoing basis, so sign in to ARTSY and follow LAMINAproject and specific artists to be notified in real time as new works are posted.
“A State of Being: He Gong and Mark Pomilio”
Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum, Mesa AZ
December 13, 2019 – March 29, 2020
A cross-cultural exchange, this exhibition brings together the dynamic black and white works of Chinese artist He Gong and scientifically inspired geometric imagery of Arizona artist Mark Pomilio. Their friendship was forged several years ago during a residency program in Cheng du, China that He Gong hosted and Pomilio attended. Even with contrasting methods and subject matter, He Gong and Pomilio’s work capture the complexity of artistic expression and the human experience.
LunchBreak is a series of live, online interviews with artists who have shown in SciArt exhibitions or been part of our residency program. Join us virtually on Zoom over your lunch break to hear from science- and technology-inspired artists on what they’re working on right now.
Michal Gavish experiments in her new installations with color fields and genetics data. Adopting the molecular modeling color language that she has learned as a chemist, she transforms the subjects of her portraiture from macro to nano scale. Using collaborative microscopic and spectroscopic results, she focuses on DNA and protein molecules. She creates layers and magnifies the scientific imagery to human scale, giving a new presence to these living formations. The soft installations and fragile materials examine the delicate balance that is essential for bio-structures and their vitality.⠀
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Self-taught artist Shanthi Chandrasekar says curiosity has been the driving force behind her art, a combination of “scientific fact and theories with my wild imagination.” With a background in both physics and psychology, Chandrasekar has branched into different kinds of art, including drawing, printmaking, papermaking, photography, sculpture, and traditional Kolam drawings. Many of these skills are currently on display in Fermilab’s art gallery, where Chandrasekar’s exhibit, “Cosmic Design,” runs through Oct. 31.
Here Chandrasekar breaks down some of the inspiration, concepts, and thought processes behind 10 of the works from “Cosmic Design.”
LAMINAproject is exhibiting the work of Jody Rasch, Joyce Yamada and Nila Onda in Joyce Yamada's studio during the 2019 Bushwick Open Studios. The studio will be open on September 21-22 from 12-6 pm. The Address is: The AnX Building, 13 Grattan Street, #402, Brooklyn NY.
The U.S. Department of State's Art in Embassies Program has chosen two "Biology" works by Jody Rasch for exhibition at the U.S. Embassy in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The two works are:
Healing - White Blood Cell, 2016, oil on board, 45 x 45 inches
Thought - Cerebellum, 2019, pencil and pastel on paper, 42 x 42 inches
Jody Rasch is one of ten international artists whose work is included in a compelling exhibition curated by Louise Shaw
The World Unseen: Intersections of Art and Science gathers the work of ten international artists, including Jody Rasch, who draw upon microbiology, biotechnology, anatomy, and texts in their investigations of microbes and cells, DNA, history of disease and science, the body, and beauty. They all share a deep interest in science, and some are scientists themselves or collaborate closely with researchers. Some mine the images of the unseen world to comment about the debates that swarm around the intersection of disease and ethics—past, present, and future. Others are drawn to the abstract beauty of what is sub-visible—real and imagined. Several of the artists use their work as a starting point to understand the complex relationships between humans and their biological systems, as well as challenges facing us in the 21st century, including emerging infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance. Through paintings, drawings, installations, and videos, these artists ponder the humanistic and scientific implications of knowing and seeing what we normally cannot see.
The AAAS Art of Science and Technology Program features Jody Rasch’s paintings and drawings in a two-person exhibition which explores duality−abstraction and representation, the literal and the metaphorical, science and mysticism, the unseen and the seen− a predominant theme in Rasch’s work. The artist uses science images to look beyond what we see in the macro world of our daily lives and gets us to question our world-view and how we react to information.
The large-scale exhibition includes work based on themes from astronomy, biology, physics and spectra. The artist transforms images from radio astronomy, electron microscopy, particle accelerators and individual element’s spectra, discovering their underlying patterns and working with color and design to create work that is both representational and abstract. Rasch uses the scientific images as a connection between the unseen and the visible world. The scale of the actual images contrasts with the size of the artwork: the biological and physics images are massively enlarged and the astronomical images are drastically reduced. The goal is to bring the images to a more human scale so that the viewer can relate to the concepts and elements that underlie our world and universe. He utilizes a variety of techniques and media, including oil, acrylic paint, pastels, colored pencil and pen/ink.