MANTIS AZUL
I create access points of connection to living systems by using anchor points of the human experience such as nostalgia, and grief.
Most importantly, my art is an experiment. A will to try and understand what I am ultimately unsure about. To connect to what I fear and feel so deeply for.
The majority of my work has geared towards independent scientific research grounded in accessibility, community science and craft. My main collaborators are Blue Elf Cup, and Ganorderma Sessile.
Upcoming Events
MYCOMEMORIA: A Mycelium Workshop by Mantis Harper-Blanco and Rachel Rusk hosted at the Baltimore Underground Science Space
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/myco-memoria-tickets-1981531708682
IMAGINING OTHERWISE: An Integrated Future by Alberto Martinez Garaulet and Mantis Harper-Blanco hosted by MICAxMcDonogh School.
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PITTED: Home at the Heart of An Empire
2025
Bacterial cellulose from K.hansenii, Branch soruced from Druid Hill Park, Ceramic vessel, Gelatin based resin and fish wire
Pitted: Home at the Heart of an empire asks, what does it look like to make a home at the heart of an empire? Growing up under the rapid synchronized development of the internet and the climate crisis, impermanence has dictated our lives. As witnesses of industrialization’s indefinite expansion, we wonder how to root ourselves in a foundation that bears constant extraction, extinction, and exploitation. We ground ourselves in the cultivating of homes, in remembering what was and fostering what could be.
What if we stick our hands in the soil?
What if we shape the air?
Blow the dust off of our fingertips?
What if we let things get dirty?
Can the Earth afford our dream of living?
Exhibited at AREA 405
Curators
Mina Sarfaraz and Nadia Nazar
Artists
Mantis Harper-Blanco, Michelle Shengyu Li, Jungwon Lee, Nadia Nazar, Maia Malakoff, Kate Boyer, Liam Davis, Rey Reyes, Asha Iman, Sofia Klimkowski-Arango, Eleanor Koster, Sarah Leiva, Madi Diaz, Aidan Lodge, Ruth Huang, Mathilde Mujanayi, Marissa Vazhappilly, Hailey Winn, Mina Sarfaraz and Havi Peterson