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!
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.
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.
