This untitled self-portrait aims to push the boundaries of portraiture and legacy, as well as the idea of a static painting. As there are trillions of microorganisms in the human body, many of which live rich and rewarding life cycles after the human dies, the definition of self becomes unclear. Is the bacteria in my body at all part of me, just part of me, or is it “me”? Additionally, as the total amount of energy in a closed system cannot be created nor destroyed, everything is conceivably made from stardust. This self-portrait addresses the micro vs the macro. Representational symbols of stars juxtapose against real incubated bacteria and microorganisms suspended in layers of resin (and eventually obscured in bacteria). This self-portrait contains a representation of myself, but arguably it also contains “me,” symbolically and literally.
This art combines the old world art of portraiture with the new world of bio art. Layers of resin are suspended over an acrylic and pastel painting, on which there is another layer of acrylic paint (stars). There are layers of resin above that layer, upon which a layer of agar and bacteria–swabbed and incubated from my own face–exist in a static moment (or does it?). That layer was then sealed with more layers of resin. It was expected that the bacteria would be in a state of suspension, yet the bacteria thrived and continues to grow still 6 years after initial creation (see updated photos). The bacteria has continued to grow despite the resin’s function to stop time. Beyond just being static physical art, this self-portrait is also a time-based work. Over time the bacteria within the resin has changed and eventually the bacteria may try to escape from the work. Will part of me continue to live on in this work after my own death?