Anna Dumitriu Blog

3rd March 2020

“aDNA” (2022) takes the form of a contemporary animal bone which has been carved with textures that explore the processes of bioarchaeology and of infection with bovine tuberculosis, a zoonotic disease that can be transferred to humans from livestock. The carvings are impregnated with a piece of ancient DNA (aDNA), known as an insertion element, […]

19th March 2020

A series of works exploring how our bacterial flora might be enhanced to create human super-organisms. Hypersymbiotics™ Post Pandemic Edition “What should your medicine cabinet contain in the future? Perhaps a vial of “Psychobiotics”, containing serotonin producing plasmids that could live inside probiotic E. coli in your gut and make you happy? This work builds […]

3rd March 2020

“Coming Back” (2022) is based on the idea of how when tuberculosis (TB) is discussed people often say “Oh, I hear it’s coming back”, and frequently blame immigration for this. But this term ‘coming back’ is truer than they think, because genomic research has shown that the main strain of TB now circulating in India […]

27th January 2020

“Pneumothorax Machine” (2014) takes the form of an altered original pneumothorax machine originally used to collapse the infected lungs of tuberculosis patients in order to ‘rest’ them. The carved case reminds us of the texture of the lung tissue as the immune system attempts to wall off the foreign TB bacteria that it cannot eliminate. […]

22nd March 2020

“Teeth Marks” is a body of artworks by artist Anna Dumitriu exploring the strange histories and emerging futures of dentistry. The project looks at the societal and psychological impacts of this defining field of medicine through a deep investigation of the Birmingham Dental Hospital Historic Collection and collaboration with present day researchers who work at […]

29th February 2020

“Ex Voto” (2016 onwards) is an ongoing participatory artwork and major installation that explores the impact of infectious diseases and antibiotics on our lives, created through the making of ‘votive offerings’ during drop-in story sharing workshop sessions. These secular ‘votive offerings’ reference those found in religious settings symbolising a wish or giving thanks for its […]

1st March 2020

Anna Dumitriu created “Don’t Try This At Home” (2015) commissioned by Eden Project for their permanent exhibition “Invisible You. The Human Microbiome” which now forms a key part of their flagship “Invisible Worlds” permanent exhibition in the Core Building at Eden Project in Cornwall. Dumitriu undertook a lab based residency with the Healthcare Associated Infection […]

27th January 2020

“Blue Henry” (2014) is a strangely beautiful altered object, an engraved sputum flask which would have been carried by tuberculosis (TB) patients in the past in order to collect infected sputum coughed up from their lungs, rather than spit it out. The piece is part of Anna Dumitriu’s Romantic Disease series. The Blue Henry “a […]

27th January 2020

“The Romantic Disease: An Artistic Investigation of Tuberculosis” is a solo exhibition and ongoing project by Anna Dumitriu, with an accompanying events programme. Skip to “Pneumothorax Machine“ Skip to “Rest, Rest, Rest!“ Skip to”Romantic Disease Dress“ Skip to “Burden“ Skip to “Where There’s Dust There’s Danger“ Skip to “Blue Henry“ This project takes the form […]

27th January 2020

“Where There’s Dust There’s Danger” (2014) takes the form of tiny needle felted lungs made from wool and household dust impregnated with the extracted DNA of killed Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB). The organisms have been rendered sterile using a validated process used in whole genome sequencing of TB. The lungs show various stages of the disease […]