Under the Microscope Traveling Exhibition

This unidentified aquatic species is not visible without the help of a high-powered electron microscope.
Top Image "Before" Photograph: This unidentified aquatic species is not visible without the help of a high-powered electron microscope.

Bottom Image Finished "After" Painting The finished painting, titled Matissimo, set the course for the entire body of work. This one is inspired by the colorful paintings of French Impressionist, Henri Matisse.
Bottom Image Finished "After" Painting: The finished painting, titled Matissimo, set the course for the entire body of work. This one is inspired by the colorful paintings of French Impressionist, Henri Matisse.

“View From Under the Microscope” is a nationally traveling art and science exhibition created by South Carolina artist Alicia Leeke.

In a unique presentation, audiences discover the critical relationship between plankton and the survival of living creatures on Earth and the need to keep our oceans sustainable for future generations.

The exhibition educates the non­-scientific community about the importance plankton play in our life by providing over 80% of the oxygen we breathe and why we need to be good stewards of our water bodies. The exhibition addresses current topics including ocean acidification and the marine food web.

Phytoplankton Under the Microscope Traveling Exhibition

Under the Microscope Artist Statement

When I was a child, I wanted a terrarium, a rock tumbling kit and a microscope. I got the terrarium in a cereal box and a geologist friend gave me a rock tumbler, but I never got a microscope. That is until I partnered with the University of South Carolina’s Marine Biology program in 2014 to create an art exhibition based on scientific water samples I collected of phytoplankton from Darrell Creek in Mount Pleasant and Quinine Hill Lake in Columbia, SC.

I don’t know that I will ever own a microscope, but my vision for combining art and science continues to be a passion of mine and now I’m taking my scientific research and art experience into the classroom to get scientists interested in partnering with artists and getting artists interested in natural and physical science.

This first body of work in the series was completed in 2016 after 2 years of sampling and research and the second set of images was started in 2018.  These images dig deep into the natural world by amplifying the shapes found in nature through color, movement and line. This exhibition blends my love of science with art and explores the various microcosms and organisms among flora, fauna and atmosphere.

You may contact Alicia about her paintings by calling 803-429- 5456, via email at info@alicialeeke.us.

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