As a graduate student at the National University of Singapore, Radhika Patnala, spent hours peering down the microscope studying microglia, the brain’s resident immune cells. “So, microglial cells are really stamped into my brain and my soul,” said Patnala, who is now cofounder of the science illustration firms Sci-Illustrate and Endosymbiont GmbH.
Neuroscientist-turned science illustrator Radhika Patnala displayed her art in the “Dreaming Cells” exhibit. Here, she is photographed with her artwork “A Bacteriophage's Playground,” depicting a surreal scene where microscopic worlds cross over to the human scale.
Radhika Patnala
Growing up, Patnala would often play around with her interior designer mother’s illustration software. She tucked away this skill as she focused on her scientific career. After graduating, when Patnala moved to Germany, seeing flowers blooming in the European spring took her back to her PhD days as she realized the parallels in nature and mammalian cells. “Every time I look at them, I really think about microglial cells interacting with neurons,” said Patnala.
With this inspiration, she revisited this artistic passion to help communicate science better and created several artworks, altogether a collection called “Microglia in Spring,” through which she highlighted the parallels within natural landscapes and the human body.
This collection, along with some of her other artwork, was on display in a science art exhibit called “Dreaming Cells” yesterday in Heidelberg. To her, the title of the exhibit was obvious. “Because I’m dreaming cells all day long,” said Patnala, since she is always exploring new and different ways to accurately depict cellular forms. “A lot of my life is about figuring out what is the nicest way to show cellular mechanisms and biology at different scales.”
Pieces in the exhibition featured different cell types including blood cells, neurons, and even bacteriophages as dynamic landscapes filled with movement and play. “[The illustrations] explore different scientific concepts, different ideas that inspire me to create art…and also ideas that help me understand the worlds of science and art together,” said Patnala.
Patnala’s artwork, titled “Feelings,” features a neuronal landscape depicting neurons, interneurons and microglial cells.
Radhika Patnala
For her illustrations, she uses different formats, including watercolor and design software. Many of her pieces in the “Dreaming Cells” exhibit are three-dimensional (3D) renderings of different cell types. “I create art in 3D as a scene and then I’m able to explore it similar to how I [would] explore a slide or a tissue sample,” said Patnala. “I enjoy [this]. Initially, I was doing it under a microscope and now, I'm doing it on a computer.”
Along with Microglia in Spring and some other series, the exhibit will also display pieces from her “COVID Dreams” collection, which features abstract art that captures her feelings related to the pandemic. In 2022, she had contributed some pieces from this collection to UNESCO’s global art exhibit for women in STEM featuring art by women in STEM, which she helped curate.
Looking ahead, she hopes that the “Dreaming Cells” exhibit inspires people to learn more about biology and sparks curiosity about different cell types. “[I hope people] appreciate how connected we are from the inside of our bodies and outside in the world,” said Patnala.