Lisa Merida-Paytes

“As an artist with disabilities caused by Spinocerebellar Ataxia 5, a rare neurological disease that is progressive, affecting my ability to walk, talk, balance myself, and use fine motor skills, my artwork not only considers the essential structure of skeletal or embryonic animal references but has become a vehicle to interpret transformative changes occurring in my body caused from the progression of the disease. Also, my work researches and brings awareness to people living with disabilities while pushing the boundaries of contemporary art. My work discusses these concepts by focusing on movement’s copious flow, a manner of passage of the living body to one’s gait and gesture. This work drives examination and permits curiosity, uncovering aspects of human nature and wonder of origin. These juxtaposed ideas reveal blurred distinctions between connections and dysfunction exhibited in multimedia multivalent invocations of the body.”