Featured Artist - Hasret
Hasret Balcioglu is a self-taught digital artist and painter whose professional background as a professor, expert in microbiology, and certified Lunar Analog Astronaut has influenced the subject of her work.
As a child, Hasret was interested in microscopes and telescopes. She was inspired by the small things in nature, and the vast sky above. Though she was eager to learn more, her mother was unsupportive of her interests. As a result, Hasret turned to art to freely express her curiosity that her mom would not allow her to pursue.
Into adulthood, Hasret was finally able to study microbiology with her mother’s support. Things took a turn when her parents were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). As a family, they came to the devastating conclusion that there was no cure for Alzheimer’s disease and ALS, fueling Hasret’s search for answers and leading her to major in Microbiology and Immunology. After losing her parents, she became increasingly interested in the meaning of life, including life in space, and God, the source of all existence.
Since then, Hasret has become an analog astronaut to gain a better understanding of space and space medicine. While in the habitat in Poland, she learned how to express herself through drawing using the ‘Space Dragon’ technique, which is a technique that uses the fingers of the hand to paint psychological feelings in three colors: red, blue, and green. These colors represent feelings of stress, anxiety, and ease. Hasret then immersed herself in digital painting, expressing life, love, space, body, and other concepts in unique, scientific ways.
Hasret’s creative works raise philanthropic awareness and provide insight through exciting visuals. In 2006, Hasret took part in an exhibition to benefit a cancer society in Cyprus. In 2021, her painting was selected as one of the top entries for NASA’s Astro Photo Challenges. In April 2024, the Planetary Society published her digital art piece ‘Universe’ on their website.
