Artist Statement
I am fascinated with neuroscience research for creating quantitative maps of human consciousness. It has led me to use visual art as an alternative, qualitative method to document qualia (the subjective properties of conscious experiences). I map sensations, emotions, energy surges, thought loops and trauma trigger responses in my body. The shapes and words in my drawings flow unfiltered from the limbic system to my fingertips. The process acts as a form of release and healing by allowing cellular memory to tell its own story without being rationalized or edited by the analytical brain.
Bio
Ashwini Bhasi is a bioinformatician from Kerala, India who is interested in exploring the somatics of shame, trauma and chronic pain through poetry and visual art. Her work can be found in RHINO, Room Magazine, Rogue Agent, Intima, The Feminist Wire and elsewhere. She is the winner of the 2020 CutBank Chapbook Contest and the recipient of the 2018 William J. Shaw Memorial Poetry Prize from Dunes Review. She currently lives in Ann Arbor, MI.