My paintings and drawings explore the human body in the universe and the universe in human bodies. As a daughter, I have inherited the Alpha Thalassemia Trait, a genetic blood disorder in which hemoglobin production is reduced, resulting in the weakening and destruction of red blood cells. Dealing with this disease throughout my life, fueled my interest in visualizing pathological genetic inheritance. Images of red blood cells interwoven with my self portrait and portraits of my family members introduced a way to combine abstraction with realistic figural forms. The resulting images explore issues of identity, family, body, and personhood.

-Aurelia Javier