Guardian of the Genome
Acrylic and guache • 2023 • 20 x 24.5 in
Apoptosis
a tender choosing of death
so life may endure
This piece emerged during a time when my experience with chronic illness felt all-encompassing. I began thinking about the p53 protein, often called “the guardian of the genome,” which protects the body by repairing damaged DNA or guiding unhealthy cells toward death. Something inside us quietly watches over life itself.
In this painting, a winged figure embraces itself, surrounded by soft hues of blue, green, white, and quiet blacks that blend and dissolve into one another. The angel is both the messenger and the guardian ,a reflection of the p53 gene, a protector of the body’s inner integrity. I wanted to invoke that presence, to make visible what feels unseen yet essential: the body’s own will to survive, to heal, to protect itself.
The loose, flowing lines and delicate strokes were intentional , to feel ethereal, like the boundary between body and soul, cell and spirit. To live is to die; to die is to live. Our cells, like our emotions, cycle endlessly through creation and release. This piece became my way of manifesting protection , a reminder that even when sickness lives within, the guardian lives there too.
Part biological, part spiritual, a sentinel watching over the body's most vulnerable moments.
In this painting, a winged figure embraces itself, surrounded by soft hues of blue, green, white, and quiet blacks that blend and dissolve into one another. The angel is both the messenger and the guardian ,a reflection of the p53 gene, a protector of the body’s inner integrity. I wanted to invoke that presence, to make visible what feels unseen yet essential: the body’s own will to survive, to heal, to protect itself.
The loose, flowing lines and delicate strokes were intentional , to feel ethereal, like the boundary between body and soul, cell and spirit. To live is to die; to die is to live. Our cells, like our emotions, cycle endlessly through creation and release. This piece became my way of manifesting protection , a reminder that even when sickness lives within, the guardian lives there too.
Part biological, part spiritual, a sentinel watching over the body's most vulnerable moments.