Joanne Berry is a visual artist and practice-based researcher whose interdisciplinary practice explores the unseen structures and complex systems revealed through advanced scientific imaging. Working across observational drawing, digital image-making, data montage and film, Berry transforms microscopic and scientific data into works that occupy a space between art, science and visual research.
Berry’s practice began in 1990 and has evolved through sustained collaborations with specialists in life science, microscopy and advanced imaging. Her process begins with the gathering of scientific data, often capturing objects and structures invisible to the human eye, which she then translates into intricate visual works. The resulting images reveal unfamiliar worlds of extraordinary complexity, inviting viewers to reconsider the boundaries between the observable and the imagined.
Her ongoing body of work centred on Radiolaria reflects this fascination with structure, form and scale; individual drawings can take more than a year to complete. Recent collaborations include work with the Natural History Museum, London, using scanning electron microscopy images from the HMS Challenger collection, alongside her contribution as a visual artist and practice-based researcher to the Wellcome Trust-funded DIALOG initiative, Understanding Disorganisation.
Berry’s influences include Gemma Anderson-Tempini, Joseph Beuys and the Artists Placement Scheme. Her work is driven by curiosity, collaboration and a persistent commitment to making.