For artist Hannah Chertock, the human body is an inspiration.

In art exhibits and her Etsy shop, she displays intricately layered paper art depicting organs like the body, the brain, the lungs and individual cells, among other body parts.

Chertock, who graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2016, first came to the subject after a hip replacement three years ago.

“That was probably the time that I was in the most pain,” she told the Hyattsville Wire. “But it also taught me how amazing and resilient bodies are, and it transformed my outlook on bodies.”

“Inspired Bodies,” features artworks by Chertock, Alice Gardner-Bates and other artists from the greater D.C. area who focus on their own disabilities and chronic illnesses. The exhibit recently opened at Maryland Meadworks at 4700 Rhode Island Ave in Hyattsville, and will be on display through Oct. 31.

Gardner-Bates said the two first discussed doing separate shows on physical and mental illnesses, but ended up deciding that the overlap between the two is strong enough that “it would be almost pointless” to differentiate.

Still, Chertock and Gardner-Bates hope to work together on a similar show in the future, perhaps as a benefit to help artists with disabilities.