BioArt
Projects
The Scientist
The BioArtist
Viral Symmetries
Cellular Entities
Cellular Portrait
BioArtist
“I feel that everything is connected, from our very origin, forming a continuum of levels of organization that encompasses the quantum, molecular, microscopic, and macroscopic realms, extending beyond the cosmos and consciousness. Our transdisciplinary approach establishes a dialogue between these planes, unveiling new realities through contemplation. Using cell and molecular biology techniques, I collaborate with animal cells and microorganisms to create living landscapes, which I then explore through microscopy and document photographically. In this process, these biological entities cease to be mere objects of study and become active participants in a biopoetic praxis that seeks to discover and communicate the hidden beauty, creativity, resilience, interconnectedness, and value of life. Sometimes, I encounter meaningful scenes that allow me to connect with deeper aspects of my inner experience, bringing these shared visions into the conscious realm, where they emerge as micropoetics. The resulting images are, in themselves, honest expressions of this inquiry and, at the same time, points of departure for the creation of new works through compositional approaches drawn from contemporary digital art. In this way, I conceive BioArt as a space of encounter between science, art, spirituality, and philosophical reflection, where a pause is created to recognize our shared biological heritage and our belonging to a broader network of existence. I also seek to keep this window open for others, understanding that meaning emerges from the biological, social, cultural, and emotional dimensions that each viewer brings to the work. For me, this practice is a way of finding meaning, cultivating wonder, and sharing the secrets of the invisible as a celebration and reaffirmation of life.”
Academic background
Jorge L. Arias-Arias (b. 1985) holds an undergraduate degree in Microbiology and Clinical Chemistry, a master's degree in Microbiology, and a Ph.D. in Sciences from the University of Costa Rica. Currently, he serves as a full professor at the same institution, affiliated with the Section of Cellular and Molecular Biology within the Faculty of Microbiology. He is also a researcher at the Research Center on Tropical Diseases (CIET) and the Research Center on Surgery and Cancer (CICICA), where he focuses on developing and validating research methods based on genetically encoded molecular sensors and live-cell fluorescence imaging. His work has applications in virology, bacteriology, cellular biology, cancer, and neurosciences, among other fields. These molecular and imaging tools also form the foundation of his work in BioArt. His transdisciplinary approach merges science and art, revealing the hidden beauty of biological processes to broader audiences.
Journal articles
2018 Arias-Arias J.L., Vega-Aguilar F., Corrales-Aguilar E., Hun L., Loría G.D., and Mora-Rodríguez R. Dengue virus infection of primary human smooth muscle cells. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 99: 1451-1457. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.18-0175
2020 Arias-Arias J.L., MacPherson D.J., Hill M.E., Hardy J.A., and Mora-Rodríguez R. A fluorescence-activatable reporter of flavivirus NS2B-NS3 protease activity enables live imaging of infection in single cells and viral plaques. J Biol Chem. 295: 2212-2226. doi: 10.1074/jbc.RA119.011319
2021 Arias-Arias J.L., and Mora-Rodríguez R. Generation and implementation of reporter BHK-21 cells for live imaging of flavivirus infection. Bio-protocol 11(5): e3942. doi: 10.21769/BioProtoc.3942
2021 Arias-Arias J.L., Corrales-Aguilar E., and Mora-Rodríguez R. A fluorescent real-time plaque assay enables single-cell analysis of virus-induced cytopathic effect by Live cell imaging. Viruses 13: 1193. doi: 10.3390/v13071193
2021 Arias-Arias J.L., Vega-Aguilar F., Picado-Soto D., Corrales-Aguilar E., and Loría G.D. In vitro inhibition of Zika virus replication with amantadine and rimantadine hydrochlorides. Microbiol. Res. 12: 727-738. doi: 10.3390/microbiolres12030052
2021 Quiros-Fernandez I., Figueroa-Protti L., Arias-Arias J.L., Brenes-Cordero N., Siles F., Mora J, Mora-Rodríguez R.A. Perturbation-based modeling unveils the autophagic modulation of chemosensitivity and immunogenicity in breast cancer cells. Metabolites 11: 637. doi: 10.3390/metabo11090637
2021 Acón M., Geiß C., Torres-Calvo J., Bravo-Estupiñan D., Oviedo G., Arias-Arias J.L., Rojas-Matey L.A., Baez E., Vásquez-Vargas G., Oses-Vargas Y., Guevara-Coto J., Segura-Castillo A., Siles-Canales F., Quirós-Barrantes S., Régnier-Vigouroux A., Mendes P., Mora-Rodríguez R. MYC dosage compensation is mediated by miRNA-transcription factor interactions in aneuploid cancer. iScience 24: 103407. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.103407
2023 Arias-Arias J.L., Molina-Castro S.E., Monturiol-Gross L., Lomonte B., and Corrales-Aguilar E., Stable production of recombinant SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain in mammalian cells with co-expression of a fluorescent reporter and its validation as antigenic target for COVID-19 serology testing. Biotechnology Reports 37, e00780. doi: 10.1016/j.btre.2022.e00780
2025 Arias-Arias J.L., Monturiol-Gross L., and Corrales-Aguilar E., A live-cell imaging-based fluorescent SARS-CoV-2 neutralization assay by antibody-mediated blockage of receptor binding domain-ACE2 interaction. BioTech 14, 10. doi: 10.3390/biotech14010010
2025 Bravo-Estupiñan D.M., Geiß C., Arias-Arias J.L., Montaño-Samaniego M., Chinchilla-Monge R., Marín-Müller C., Quirós-Barrantes S., Régnier-Vigouroux A., Ibáñez-Hernández M., Mora-Rodríguez R.A. A synthetic sponge system against miRNAs of the miR-17/92 cluster targets transcriptional MYC dosage compensation in aneuploid cancer. Cells 14: 1384. doi: 10.3390/cells14171384
Book chapters
2021 Arias-Arias J.L., and Mora-Rodríguez R. Fluorescence imaging approaches in flavivirus research. In Human Viruses: Diseases, Treatments and Vaccines, pp 713–729, Springer Link. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-71165-8_34
2023 Arias-Arias J.L., and Céspedes-Tenorio D. The virus-induced cytopathic effect. In Virus Infected Cells, pp 197–203, Springer Link. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-40086-5_7
Group exhibitions
- 2011 Expo Foto, La Casa del Cuño, Antigua Aduana, San José, Costa Rica
2017 La No Bienal, Galería María Vega, Gráfica Genesis, San José, Costa Rica
- 2024 Amalgama: Uniendo la Ciencia y el Arte, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
2025 Exxxpuestos / El Umbral del Exceso, Galería María Vega, Gráfica Génesis, San José, Costa Rica
2026 Voces: Patria e Identidad, Galería Talentum, San José, Costa Rica
Solo exhibitions
- 2025 El Científico, Galería del Consejo Universitario, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
2025 Viral Symmetries, Institute of Virology, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
2025 Viral Textures, Rahel Hirsch Center for Translational Medicine, Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Berlin, Germany