April GBS Open Studio: Artist Talk with Sabrina Merayo Nuñez

About Genspace Biomaterials Studio

We are a community-driven biomaterial research group exploring, creating, and innovating at the intersection of materials, biology, and design. Biomaterials are collaborations between organisms​ synthesized into forms used for art, products, medicine, and construction. We actively cultivate a community of designers, artists, and scientists focused on finding alternative solutions to today’s materials using circular and regenerative systems.

About the Artist

Sabrina Merayo Nuñez is a Latin American interdisciplinary artist, born in Argentina and based in New York City. Her work delves into the interplay between nature’s processes, human intervention, and the technologies that mediate these relationships. Through her practice, she seeks to co-create with nature, observing and amplifying its behavioral patterns while fostering a dialogue between the organic and the technological.

Her approach views tools and technology as extensions of human perception—and by extension, humanity itself.

With an eclectic background that spans bio-art, history of art, history of design, applied arts, fine arts, furniture making, and sculpture, she brings a unique, multifaceted perspective to her work. This diverse foundation informs her ability to merge traditional craft techniques with cutting-edge technologies and experimental materials.

One of her key projects, Humans as Trees, developed at the Coalesce Center for Biological Art at the University at Buffalo (2018), explored the dematerialization of nature through DNA. This bio-art endeavor involved extracting DNA from tree species and comparing it to her own genetic sequencing. The project traced the transformation of a tree branch into a 4-letter genetic code, bridging the physical and the digital, matter and data.

As a continuation of her bio-art research, she has developed a series of sculptural lighting pieces that merge art and biology. Using a 100% biodegradable bioplastic recipe she developed—crafted from algae and collagen and inspired by medieval paint and varnish techniques—her work integrates nature’s processes with interactive design. These sculptures, which incorporate agar with branches and roots, foster microbiomes that evolve autonomously, highlighting the tension between control and organic growth.

Through these interdisciplinary creations, she explores materiality, transformation, and the interconnectedness of the organic and technological realms.

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