Portrait of Johanna

Artist:

Researcher:

NAFLD Study, The Researcher Becomes The Subject — A full scale portrait and supporting studies that examine non alcoholic fatty liver disease through lived experience and scientific inquiry.

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About Project

This project centers Dr. Johanna DiStefano, a researcher focused on non alcoholic fatty liver disease, as both collaborator and subject. Early in the process, the artist committed to a full scale human study emphasizing anatomy and physiology. During initial conversations, it emerged that Dr. DiStefano herself has NAFLD. With shared clarity of intent and her consent, the work shifted from representation to personal study.

The portrait invites layered conversations, first about Johanna as an individual, then about her role as a researcher, and ultimately about NAFLD itself. Surrounding the main work are five smaller supporting pieces that reference the biological participants involved in the disease, including cells and genetic components. Together, the works reflect how scientific research and personal experience can intersect within a single narrative.

Artpiece dimensions
Main work: 38″ x 52″
Supporting works: double sided disks measuring 8.5″, 5.25″, 8″, 9″, and 9.5″ in diameter

Artpiece price
$12,000 main work, one available $450 large disks, four available $275 small disk, one available

Behind the work

The project evolved through sustained dialogue and shared reflection between artist and researcher. Scientific discussion informed the structure and symbolism of the work, while personal narrative shaped its emotional and conceptual depth. The inclusion of supporting studies allowed space to explore disease mechanisms alongside individual identity. As the collaboration progressed, both participants recognized that grounding the work in lived experience expanded its clarity and resonance beyond initial expectations.

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Together, they built a shared language between disciplines, translating data, material, and emotion into new forms of expression.

THE TEAM

ARx connects artists and researchers through residencies, exhibitions, and education.

Get to know PBC Art Committee

WHERE Creativity Meets Research •

Monica Aissa Martinez

Monica Aissa Martinez was born in El Paso, Texas and earned a Bachelors in Fine Arts from the University of Texas at El Paso and Masters in Fine Arts from New Mexico State University, Las Cruces. She has kept an ongoing artist blog for more than ten years and exhibited extensively in museums and galleries, including including Nothing in Stasis (solo) at Tucson Museum of Art, Nothing in Stasis (solo) at Mesa Contemporary Arts, Nothing In Stasis at University of Arizona Medical School (solo); Draw, the art of curiosity and innovation at Tempe Center for the Arts (Artist-in-Residence); Between Earth and Sky: Contemporary Art from the American Southwest in China and at the ASU Museum; Drawing with Everything, Art at the Cellular Level, and Beyond Boundaries, Map in Art, all at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport Museum; AZ Biennial at Tucson Museum of Art, Connections to the Natural World at LA Artcore Brewery Annex; and notably State of the Art: Discovering American Art Now at Crystal Bridges Museum.

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Johanna DiStefano

Dr. Johanna DiStefano is a Professor and Head of the Diabetes and Fibrotic Disease Unit where she leads research in the molecular mechanisms of chronic, progressive metabolic diseases. For more than twenty years, Dr. DiStefano has investigated molecular mechanisms underlying type 2 diabetes and related hepatic and renal complications. During this time, she has led many successful NIH-funded studies to identify genetic and molecular factors associated with the development and progression of diabetic kidney disease, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and diabetic dyslipidemia, all of which contribute significantly to morbidity and mortality in patients with diabetes. She currently has major efforts in the investigation of epigenetic mechanisms underlying the development and progression of NAFLD and the role of extracellular vesicle content in mediating metabolic derangements in obesity and improvements in metabolic parameters associated with bariatric surgery and lifestyle interventions. Her team works with ethnically diverse patient populations using state-of-the-art laboratory approaches to address important gaps in our understanding of disease pathogenesis and directly impact unmet clinical needs.

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