The Living Bacteria

Some of Anna Dumitriu's works aren't just inspired by microbiology—they contain actual bacteria cultured in laboratories. The British artist works with researchers in genetics, biochemistry, and medicine to transform invisible microorganisms into artistic matter. Her installations sometimes use fabrics, culture dishes, or modified DNA to question the boundary between art, disease, and biotechnology.

Anna Dumitriu has developed work for several years situated at the boundary between contemporary art and microbiological research. Unlike many works inspired by science, her projects directly use real biological materials produced in laboratories.

Some installations thus integrate bacterial colonies cultured on textile, biofilms, or genetic samples from medical research. The artist regularly collaborates with microbiologists to work under conditions compatible with scientific protocols. A significant part of her work focuses on the history of infectious diseases and antibiotic resistance. In several works, bacteria are deliberately exposed to different treatments to show the biological evolution of microorganisms capable of surviving certain medicines.

This approach produces a strange displacement of artistic gaze. Bacteria are no longer merely represented: they become active matter directly participating in the work. Dumitriu's work also raises unprecedented conservation questions for museums. How to preserve a work containing potentially evolving biological materials? Some pieces require protocols close to those of scientific laboratories.

This hybridization between art and microbiology also transforms aesthetic perception of invisible life. Bacterial colonies sometimes produce visually fascinating textures, colors, or patterns even though they remain culturally associated with disease and contamination.