As visitors moved through the Glen Cove Public Library’s gallery earlier this month, they paused in front of swirling, ribbon-like forms—delicate lines layered in ink that looked more like abstract paintings than scientific diagrams. But for Nabil Azamy, each piece began not with a sketch, but with data.
“I’m looking to give people these individualized perspectives of their own genetic stories,” Azamy said.
Azamy, 37, is the co-founder of Genetics of Design, an art studio that transforms genetic and other datasets into visual works using custom software and pen plotters with his business partner Anthony DeSantis.
His exhibition, “The Art of Genetics,” which runs through then end of April at the Glen Cove Library, blends science, technology and personal storytelling, offering viewers a way to see biology not as charts or reports, but as something tangible.
“I think genetics has reached this ‘Pale Blue Dot’ phase,” he said, referencing Carl Sagan’s famous reflection on Earth’s image captured from deep space. “It’s informing our lives, our decisions, public health. But people are still learning how it’s meaningful to them.”
Azamy’s work aims to bridge that gap. Rather than presenting raw data, he converts complex biological information into designs that hold personal significance. One piece, created for a pet owner, visualizes a dog’s genetic background by mapping how two breeds combine at the molecular level.
“When you look at that piece, if you’re the pet owner, that can represent to you a very personal image of this animal that you love,” he said.
The process behind each artwork is both technical and deliberate. Azamy writes his own software—often in Python—using public datasets or client-provided reports. The designs are then rendered by pen plotters, machines that draw each piece line by line.
“You can kind of see this coming together,” he said. “It’s manufactured one layer at a time, one color at a time.”
That physical process is central to his work. Unlike digital prints, the plotted pieces emphasize craftsmanship and transparency, showing viewers how data becomes art.
“If I just give them a JPEG or a PNG, it doesn’t feel real,” Azamy said. “But when you see it being made, there’s something about that that connects with people.”
Azamy’s background is rooted in science. He earned a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Stony Brook University and later a master’s degree in computer science and bioinformatics from Johns Hopkins University. He previously worked at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and now develops large-scale genetic software pipelines used to generate patient reports.
That experience has shaped both his technical approach and his understanding of how deeply genetics can affect people’s lives.
“I’m on the frontier of seeing how meaningful genetic information is to people,” he said. “It informs their identity, their life choices.”
Through his studio, Azamy is exploring how that information can be expressed visually. His work ranges from general data art—such as maps or topographical designs—to deeply personal commissions tied to ancestry, health or family history.
“Some people might say, ‘I have my genome sequenced—make something that represents that,’” he said. “Others might want something connected to a loved one’s experience with illness.”
He is careful, however, about how he handles sensitive information.
“I want people to understand that their genetic information is as valuable as their phone password,” Azamy said. “That’s something I take very seriously.”
While the subject matter can be highly technical, Azamy said the final pieces are meant to stand on their own, regardless of a viewer’s scientific knowledge.
“One of the nice things about abstract art is that it can speak to you on many levels,” he said. “You don’t need to know anything about the biology behind it.”
That accessibility is intentional. He compares the experience to looking at the night sky—something that can inspire awe without requiring full understanding.
“In the same way you can look up and see the stars and still find beauty in it, I want people to feel something when they see these pieces,” he said.
“The library’s exhibit space gives local artists a unique opportunity to share their work with the community without the traditional barriers of a gallery,” Lydia Wen Rodgers, a librarian at Glen Cove Public Library,said. “It’s so important to maintain an open and welcoming environment.”
