Bio:

Michaela Costa was born in 1999 in Rhode Island. In 2022, she will receive her BA in Studio Art with a concentration in Illustration and a minor in Biology at Salve Regina University. Costa’s works have been included in exhibitions including the Best of Salve Students Show in 2020 at Dorrance H Hamilton Gallery, Salve Regina University, as well as Creatures of Imagination: The Nature Cabinet Show in 2021 at Dorrance H Hamilton Gallery, Salve Regina University

Statment:

My illustrations articulate my curiosity about the transformation of one form of organic matter to another, and how this metamorphosis effects a being’s fulfillment of the human condition through studying the anatomy of eukaryotic organisms. In doing so I invoke an existential query about beings whose existence lies between human and fauna.  

I create work by observing bones, taxidermy, and wet specimen from both Salve Regina’s Nature Cabinet as well as my own personal collection. In addition to preserved specimen, I also create work from direct study and dissection of full animal cadavers and organ systems.

My interest in this type of work comes from a deep interest in science and medicine and a love for creating art. By creating this type of work, I am able to further my own understanding and education of science and the natural world while also altering my own perception of metamorphosis and the human condition.