Anna Dumitriu Infuses Real Bacteria into Her Thought-Provoking Art

Artist Anna Dumitriu isn't happy about the public conception of bacteria, and the way that we've all been conditioned to consider bacteria to be a dirty word, so to speak. The truth is that many of those same microorganisms we've come to fear also help us out, and oftentimes even exist within all of us, and her unique brand of art tackles this idea head on, intent on showing people that many strains of the microbes we fear are in fact essential for the normal functioning of our bodies.

As we spotted over on the Smithsonian website, Dumitriu has actually found a way to inject strands of disease-causing microbes into her artwork (don't worry, she kills them off first), infusing them into quilts and even clothing. The uniques pieces are currently on display at the West London exhibition space Watermans, and she's dubbed the series 'The Romantic Disease,' which has a large focus on tuberculosis - which was, in fact, dubbed 'the romantic disease,' and was originally viewed as a representation of spiritual purity and wealth.

In addition to ancient medical artifacts, which were once used to treat diseases like tuberculosis, her space at the exhibition center is filled out with everything from a dress colored with dyes made from walnut husks, which were used as early tuberculosis treatments, to a collection of small felt lungs, which were actually injected with the microorganism that causes the disease. Another piece (above), features a chair covered in black fabric, meant to convey the idea that every surface we look at and touch is covered with microscopic bacteria that we cannot see.

"It makes microbiology accessible, for so many people, at many different levels," Dumitriu says of her art, "which is great, because that's really what I set out to do in the first place."