YabYum Seven: Monica Aissa Martinez

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All photos courtesy of Monica Aissa Martinez

Who are you and what do you do?

I spent the summer as an Artist-in-Residence at the Tempe Center for the Arts. I was studying and drawing the human brain.

Last month I would have answered with: I am a nervous system. I am neurons and glia firing up a brain.

The last few weeks I’ve been looking at microorganisms – bacteria, viruses, fungi and archea. Today I am an organism made up of micro- organisms. I am human microbiome.

I am a visual artist / creative matter. I draw and paint human anatomy and physiology.

How did you get your start?

Do you want to know how I came to be? Mom and dad connected and nine months later – there I was!

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What inspires you?

Right now it’s [the] being inside of a human body.

What do you like about AZ?

I love the diversity of our landscape. I like that I live in the desert and I can drive North a few hours and be in mountains. I love the color of our open sky. I love our sunsets.

Where can we see you(r) work?

My studio.

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What would you like to accomplish before you die?

I poke and prod life. I’d like to have all the answers – maybe one day.

What is your mantra?

The three questions that run me and the work I do are : Who am I? What am I? What is this world and what is my relationship to it?

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For more Monica Aissa Martinez, visit her website.

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