Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/179241
thrive PORTRAIT OF AN ARTIST Koch's work often aims to demonstrate how we are much more interconnected than we realize. For instance, the cloud imagery in much of her recent work is symbolic of how matter can travel around the earth, without knowing its own history. "For perspective," she explains, "consider this fact: With each breath you take, at least one molecule of that breath was a part of Caesar's last breath." If you step in front of an art piece crafted by Lisa Koch and peer into it, don't be surprised if you see your own image inside her creation. A science researcher with a bachelor's in biochemistry and master's in fine art, Koch's work is all about reflections. Using glass, she pulls the viewer into her work through cleverly placed mirrors. In some pieces, mirrored clouds that float over maps from the last five centuries reflect an image of the viewer juxtaposed within the reflected images of the maps. She also uses flat glass to reflect images behind or within it. The results can be mind-bending, with images and people shifting and changing—symbolic of how they transform over time. With a dual life as an artist and researcher in a lab that focuses on plant genetics and biochemistry, Koch's work is influenced by her interest in the systematic study of the world via observation. "See" yourself in her latest works at the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts Nov. 2 to Dec 22. — Karin Wolfe See more of Koch's work, lisa-koch.com. Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts, 19805 W. Capitol Dr., Brookfield, Wis. (262) 781-9470. 38 brava magazine | OCTOBER 2013 Photos Courtesy of the artist Lisa Koch It's all glass and mirrors