Collection 01 · 9 works
Bio-Inspired Acrylic Art
Microscopic Worlds
This project features a collection of acrylic paintings inspired by the fascinating world of biological specimens seen through a microscope. Using a 600x magnification, I closely observed and sketched microscopic images, which became the foundation for each piece of art.
The goal of this project is to fuse scientific discovery with creative expression, highlighting the intricate beauty of nature’s hidden patterns. Click on each artwork to explore the story it tells.
Commissioned by the Prof. Barry J. Marshall Research Centre for H. pylori India at AIG Hospitals.
This painting depicts H. pylori, a bacterium that colonizes the stomach, shown here transitioning from more carcinogenic Eastern strains (red) to less virulent Western strains (blue). In Sikkim, these strains meet and mix, revealing this evolutionary shift. In the bottom left corner, the painting shows the underlying DNA mutations that drive this evolution. In the bottom right, antibiotics are depicted as a modern selective pressure that further drives this evolution, making the bacterium harder to treat. In the top right, endoscopic images show the stomach lining before and after colonization, illustrating the resulting inflammation.
Teravarna International Art Competition — First Place
Inspired by the potential of BLAST, a major scientific development in biological research, I created a depiction of the computational program that analyzes DNA sequences by aligning them to identify common patterns. The piece seeks to simplify complex scientific concepts and highlight their transformative potential, presenting them through an accessible lens that reveals their inherent beauty. From recursive spirals to pathways of nucleotides, every element embodies the depth and elegance of BLAST’s role in modern biology.
American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Neurology Cover Art Challenge — Winner
This piece began with a conversation with my teacher that I could not forget. She told me about her sister’s epilepsy and the stigma it brought. In India, where seizures are widely attributed to possession or supernatural forces, epilepsy is met with fear and misunderstanding. In this 3 × 4-foot acrylic and spray-paint work, I wanted to challenge that belief without reducing her sister’s experience to a medical diagram. Anatomical fragments overlap with flowers, leaves, and branching forms that echo neurons and plant veins. Rooting the anatomy in familiar botanical structures makes it approachable and places epilepsy in the natural world. Fine white lines against blurred, shadowlike spray move the eye between detail and uncertainty. The profile anchors the work in a person rather than a diagnosis. I want viewers to see epilepsy as a human experience with a biological cause, not a supernatural one. It was selected as a cover of the American Academy of Neurology’s flagship journal.
Journal of Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society (JPIDS) Cover Art
Height: 24 inches, Materials: Acrylic paint
The tonsil, a vital component of the body’s first line of defense, plays a pivotal role in detecting, engulfing, and neutralizing harmful pathogens. In this piece, I illustrate the structure of the tonsil, with lymphoid follicles and a network of blood vessels. The foreground depicts phagocytes in the act of engulfing bacteria during phagocytosis, capturing the immune system's critical role in protecting against infection.
National Institutes of Health (NIH) Youth Graphic Medicine Challenge — Honorable Mention
Height: 24 inches, Width: 24 inches, Materials: Acrylic paint
In this painting, I aim to depict the intricate function of the fallopian tube in the early stages of human development. The artwork captures the fallopian tube's mucosal folds in microscopic detail, illustrating the moment after fertilization and the subsequent stages of embryo development. To the left, a true-to-scale cross-section of the fallopian tube is shown, emphasizing the remarkable role this small muscular tube plays in the creation of new life. This highlights both the complexity and the critical importance of the fallopian tube in human reproduction.
Height: 24 inches, Width: 24 inches, Materials: Acrylic paint
In my painting, the gallbladder serves as a symbol of shared ancestry among different species. The gallbladder, a small organ found in many vertebrates, plays a crucial role in digestion. Its presence across species highlights a common evolutionary trait inherited from a distant ancestor.
In the background, I include detailed, microscopic illustrations of the gallbladder, emphasizing its biological importance and universal presence in these species. The foreground features a variety of animals, all of which share the trait of having a gallbladder. Where the strands of DNA intersect in the illustration, I depict a common ancestral point, symbolizing the evidence of our shared evolutionary history.
Height: 24 inches, Width: 36 inches, Materials: Acrylic paint
I displayed the process of evolution given light by the appendix. The appendix is an evidence of evolution, and this vestigial organ has no purpose now but in the past it served a purpose. Darwin theorized that the appendix in humans and other primates was the evolutionary remains of a larger structure, called a cecum, which was used by now- extinct ancestors for digesting food. The artwork depicts a visual journey through time, showcasing the evolutionary transformation that the appendix is an evidence for.