As a young graduate student, when Ayelén Valko peered through her microscope, she entered a stunning cellular world. During her time in geneticist Pablo Wappner’s group at the University of Buenos Aires, she focused on autophagy—a process in which cells, when exposed to stress such as starvation, break down their own components to survive. Trained as a microscopist, Valko had a window into this cellular landscape and sought to capture its beauty and mystery through illustration.
Cell biologist and visual artist Ayelén Valko captures cellular landscapes and biological processes through a wide range of mediums.
Ayelén Valko
Fascinated by these images, she realized, “I had an intuitive knowledge of how to represent them,” explained Valko, who grew up painting and drawing, but wanted to refine her skills. In parallel to her PhD work, she took courses at the National University of Arts in 2016 and trained in scientific and naturalistic illustrations at various institutions over the next few years.
Her illustrations continued when she went to do a postdoctoral fellowship at Heidelberg University, studying a type of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) autophagy called micro-ER-phagy in yeast. During this time, she continued to create works of art inspired by both her own work in autophagy as well as images she’d seen while reading research papers. Some of these made it to journal covers while others continued to build her portfolio.
After her fellowship concluded in 2022, she decided to put her pipette down and picked up her paintbrush, becoming a full-time artist creating artworks inspired by cellular and subcellular imagery in 2023. She uses mixed media, including acrylic painting—her favorite—decoupage, watercolor, and markers to create her artwork.
Showcasing Autophagy, Lysosomes, and Oocytes
This image, titled Imaginary Oocyte, is part of Valko’s Origins in Blue series. It depicts a surreal exploration of the interior of a human egg cell containing an imaginary universe.
Ayelén Valko
In addition to the scientific precision in her illustrations, Valko introduces her own layer of artistic flair, weaving in an expression of her feelings to the images she observes.
Because many biological processes are complex, Valko remarked, “I use some metaphors and symbolism to increase the empathy of the audience.” Her work spans across different cells, from oocytes to lysosomes, and model organisms.
She is particularly drawn to autophagy, which she describes as both philosophically and artistically compelling. “It’s a destructive mechanism because cells eat themselves, yet it’s necessary for cell survival,” she explained. “There is a very interesting paradox there that I think is fertile ground for artistic creation, because you can explore these two forces that are opposites.”
This interest has led to ongoing art series such as Origins in Blue and Anthropo-Lysosomes, which explore the universe of mammalian ovaries and oocytes as well as themes of biological destruction, respectively.
In Origins in Blue, Valko explores biological synthesis, following the journey of a single oocyte to becoming a whole organism. In Anthropo-Lysosomes, she depicts three anthropomorphic figures with human traits that undergo progressive degradation within a lysosome. Through varied techniques and materials, she highlights different dimensions of destruction—until the figures gradually disappear. Yet the process is not intended as purely negative, she clarified. “I’m planning to add some flowers inside, because I want to talk about recycling and the transformation process that you have after this destruction.”
This image, titled Anthropo-Lysosome 5, is part of Valko’s Anthropo-Lysosomes series. It depicts three figures within a lysosome and explores artistic expression through symbolism and written language.
Ayelén Valko
Sparking Curiosity Through Microscopic Images
Since beginning her artistic career, Valko has exhibited her work widely. Last year, she held a solo exhibition at the Community of German and Austrian Women Artists and Art Friends (GEDOK) Heidelberg gallery; Valko’s work took onlookers on a journey that began with the whole organism before unraveling the hidden world of organs, tissues, individual cells, and their intracellular components. She is also a member of GEDOK Heidelberg, one of the largest European networks supporting women in the arts. But beyond her exhibitions, she also contributes to public engagement and scientific outreach.
Valko regularly shares microscopic imagery with the broader community, presenting the real scientific visuals that underpin her work. In recent years, she spoke to students at primary schools in Argentina and high schools in Germany. “Sometimes it’s the first contact that the kids have with microscopic images,” said Valko. “[I] show them how cells look and which tools we have as scientists.”
Looking ahead, Valko is planning ambitious new projects—literally on a larger scale. She hopes to create large-scale representations of different cellular organelles, expanding both the physical and conceptual dimensions of her work.
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