Mental Mapping explores how internal networks, such as memory, perception, and emotion, shape the way we experience and navigate the world. This exhibition delves into the intersections of neuroscience, creativity, and visual storytelling.

Reception: April 24, 2025, 6:30-8:30 PM

Artist Talk: June 10, 2025, 6-8 PM

Location: The Somerville Armory
191 Highland Ave, Somerville, MA

Admission is free.

Joshua Sariñana, PhD ’11, combines his neuroscience background with art and storytelling to foster public engagement with science and elevate underrepresented voices. As highlighted in his MIT News alumni profile, Sariñana’s work focuses on creating connections between science and the public through interdisciplinary projects.

Connecting with Joshua Sariñana, we discussed the ways he has joined the photographic arts with the field of science since his 2016 Griffin Exhibition, Prosopagnosia, the right vs. left brain myth regarding creativity, and the importance of programming to purposefully create diversity and inclusivity when working toward racial and social justice.

From December 6, 2021, to February 28, 2022, The Poetry of Science was exhibited at MIT’s Rotch Gallery, presenting a dynamic blend of poetry and photography that highlights the experiences and contributions of scientists of color. Directed by Joshua Sariñana, PhD, this multimedia project merges art and science to challenge traditional narratives and foster positive associations between communities of color and the sciences. Each work pairs portraits of scientists, visually embedded into natural landscapes, with poetry that explores their research, motivations, and lives.

Joshua Sariñana, a neuroscientist turned photographer, explores how memory, perception, and personal experience shape artistic expression. In his Rfotofolio interview, he reflects on how his scientific background influences his photographic process, using image-making as a means of grounding himself in reality.

Neuroscientist and photographer Joshua Sariñana’s interview in Black & White Magazine, winner of the 2019 Portfolio Contest. He discusses the intersection of cognition and visual art. His Image of Structure series dissects architectural forms as representations of thought processes, drawing from his background in memory research at MIT.

In an interview with Feature Shoot, Joshua Sariñana discusses his photographic series Surface and Consciousness, which transforms urban puddles into portals of reflection and altered perception. Drawing on his background in neuroscience, Sariñana explores the tension between the physical and psychological realms, using puddles as metaphors for consciousness and self-reflection. Read the Interview >

Joshua Sariñana’s architectural photography series, Image of Structure, was featured in First Look 2019, a five-person exhibition at Panopticon Gallery. Running from January 4 to March 4, 2019, the show explored how individual photographs contribute to a broader narrative when presented as a cohesive portfolio. Curated by Kat Kiernan, the exhibition emphasized the complexity and depth that comes from viewing photography as an interconnected body of work.

In a conversation with Michael Kirchoff, Joshua Sariñana discusses the intersection of neuroscience and photography, revealing how his dual background informs his creative process.

Joshua Sariñana’s Image of Structure was named a Top 200 selection in Photolucida’s Critical Mass 2018, an internationally recognized competition that highlights exceptional contemporary photography. This series, captured at the Stata Center at MIT, reimagines the architectural landscape through a lens of abstraction and emotion.

Joshua Sariñana’s architectural photography series, Image of Structure, was featured in BETA Developments in Photography, an internationally recognized online magazine known for its curated selection of contemporary photographic portfolios. The publication, originally conceived by the Ballarat International Foto Biennale (BIFB), highlights compelling photographic works with minimal text, allowing images to stand as the primary mode of artistic expression.

In April 2018, L’Œil de la Photographie featured Joshua Sariñana’s photographic series Image of Structure as a portfolio selection. This body of work examines the intersection of architecture, perception, and abstraction through photography, capturing the geometric complexity of built environments.

Joshua Sariñana’s architectural photography series Image of Structure was featured in Silvershotz Magazine, March 2018, Volume 12, Edition 3. As a publication dedicated to showcasing conceptual and innovative photography, Silvershotz provides an international platform for artists exploring the boundaries of visual storytelling.

Joshua Sariñana’s architectural photography series, Image of Structure, was featured in Float Magazine. Known for highlighting contemporary photography across all genres, Float provides a dynamic platform for both emerging and established artists.

Image of Structure explores the relationship between architecture and cognition, using high-contrast black-and-white compositions to examine how spatial environments influence perception and memory. Drawing from his background in neuroscience, Sariñana’s series presents architectural forms as visual metaphors for the structured yet fluid nature of thought.

L’Œil de la Photographie published Joshua Sariñana’s photographic series Representation of Hidden Communication. This series explores the visual and conceptual intersections between science, technology, and perception, focusing on the often unseen networks of communication embedded in research environments.

Joshua Sariñana’s photographic series, Representation of Hidden Communication, has been selected for Photolucida’s Critical Mass Top 200 Award, a prestigious recognition in contemporary photography.

Joshua Sariñana’s photographic series Representation of Hidden Communication was featured in Silvershotz Magazine, Volume 11, Edition 11, 2017. Known for curating exceptional contemporary photography portfolios, Silvershotz provides an international platform for conceptual and experimental work.

Joshua Sariñana’s photographic series Prosopagnosia is a profound exploration of memory, identity, and the nature of perception. Featured in SciArt Magazine, this body of work employs a circular frame to create a telescopic effect, visually symbolizing the distortion and reconstruction of past experiences.

In a 2015 interview with the Impossible Project (now Polaroid Originals), Joshua Sariñana, PhD, reflects on how his neuroscience expertise and photographic practice intersect to explore memory, identity, and the human experience.