Artist Statement

Our bodies are a mystery; all we know and see is our external reflection. To most people, the human body is a vastly unexplored landscape. Through the medium of gouache, I translate specimens onto watercolor paper and plexiglass to represent a slide that a pathologist used to conclude a diagnosis.  After working in a histology lab studying tissue surgically removed from the body, I discovered my muse. This job includes accessioning specimens upon arrival to the lab into an application and delivering them to Physician Assistants. The colors used to dye slides and distinguish different sections of tissue create abstract patterns and designs that provoke my artistic interest. I was also intrigued to know the patient, the diagnosis of the specimen, and the severity. Looking up each patient I could view their weight, allergies, height, birthday, and other health-related information. So personal yet with a disconnect, I never see the patient and never observe their emotions. I feel empathy toward the patients, but I never see their faces and how the diagnosis has disrupted their life. Through my artistic process, I am revealing the beauty behind a diagnosis as well as a connection with a stranger. 

Our relationship with our bodies is similar to my disconnection with the patients. We may feel that something is wrong, but it is not clear when we have a tumor, or an illness. I am exploring the beauty of ignorance and the mysterious layers beneath the surface of our skin. Under each artwork is a description of a fictional patient with a true diagnosis; allowing you, the audience, to feel a connection with a stranger. Behind a doctor’s devastating detection there is an artistic system with pink and purple slides indicating the final outcome. We must work to make ourselves healthy and eliminate things that make us ill, and view health as an opportunity instead of a barrier and challenge. We have one body and one life.Histology has taught me that we never know when our life and health may be disrupted. These artworks reflect the preciousness and mystery within our bodies.

Brooke Scotti

About the Artist

Brooke Scotti was born and raised in Cranford, New Jersey. She will graduate from the Loyola University of Maryland with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a minor in Studio Arts. Her Jesuit education has provided her with the opportunity to explore her passion for science and art. Both assist her in the other. The Studio Art minor gives her a different way of thinking through problems and science gives her art structure along with a deeper meaning. She works in an array of different mediums and creates whatever inspires her. Her undergraduate thesis explores the disconnect between a diagnosis and a patient. This past summer she worked in histology (the study of tissue) lab organizing slides and documenting specimens collected from the hospital. Intrigued by the colorful designs of the slides and specimens, she would find the patient’s diagnosis. She was impacted by the information she read but could not fathom what the patient was surviving. She is sharing the beauty she found in a typically sad atmosphere as well as a reflection on self-health.