10 Facts about the Hidden World of Microbial Art

It’s easy to see how microbial art, or agar art, differs from all other art styles. After all, the medium used is living, breathing organisms, and the canvas is a petri dish. It’s likely no surprise that these extraordinary creations were initially grown by scientists in labs—only recently becoming available to the general public via workshops and ready-made kits.

The result is a wide array of vibrant images that can be as stunning as they are illuminating. However, potential danger lurks, requiring strict protocols for safety, including the destruction of these remarkable “germ paintings” shortly after their creation.

Some claim the risks involved should prevent amateurs from taking part. Others believe merging art and science through this unique art form has the potential to bring people together like never before. Keep reading to learn more about the beautiful but dangerous art of painting with bacteria.

Related: 10 Unusual and Incredible Reinterpretations of Classic Artworks

10 The Necessary Materials

Much like traditional forms of painting, creating a microbial work of art requires a few materials. These include an art tool (such as a paintbrush, wooden stick, or platinum loop), strains of live bacteria, a nutrient-enriched antibiotic powder, and a substance called agar. Known best by cooking enthusiasts and microbiologists, agar is a white, gelatin-like substance harvested from red algae. Agar is used mainly for cooking purposes (especially desserts), but microbiologists like it for its thickening and stabilizing properties. With the help of nutrients, agar creates a solid growing area where different bacteria can be cultured and studied—or made into striking artworks.

“Agar art, therefore, is the practice of using this jelly-like medium to culture pigmented microbes and manipulate them into elaborate designs and patterns, bridging the worlds of arts and sciences with the flick of a paintbrush.” ^[1]

9 Painting with Bacteria

Painting Microbial art is relatively simple—there are only two steps—but the process is far from easy.

The first step involves mixing the agar and nutrient-enriched antibiotic powder (which may include a mix of peptone, yeast extract, and sodium chloride) in a glass jar with water. The agar mixture is sterilized in an autoclave machine for 30 minutes at 250°F (121°C), where it comes out hot and molten. The agar is poured into a petri dish, covered with a lid, and left to solidify for one hour. Then, it is turned upside down and left to dry for 24 hours.

In the second step, the chosen bacteria strains are added to a sterilized loop (brush or stick) and painted directly onto the agar one by one. Colors are only visible after a day, so a sketch is often placed under the petri dish for tracing. The petri dish is left to dry before being sealed and placed in an incubator for 24 hours. Then, it is left to sit at room temperature for another 48 hours. (The exact times depend on the types of bacteria used.) A photo finishes the process.^[2]

8 Colorful Bacteria

Microbial art doesn’t always turn out as expected. Sometimes, one bacteria releases chemicals that can prevent another from making its color. Knowing the bacteria individually and how they interact in a group is essential. Some scientists began genetically engineering microbes in different colors to overcome this issue, allowing them more control and variety in their creations.

Similarly, Frederick Hammes, a microbiologist at a leading aquatic research institute in Zurich, Switzerland, called Eawag, started adding powdered charcoal to the agar to make the background black, his preferred color. It’s not the only trick Hammes had up his sleeve. He has since moved on to create 3D agar art that rises off the petri dish like a sculpture.^[3]

7 There Are Risks Involved

These one-of-a-kind living creations can be stunning, but if not done correctly, they can also be incredibly dangerous. Pathogens are bacteria known to cause disease and present a grave risk to anyone attempting to create microbial art, including contamination and spreading disease to the general public.

Less than 1% of microbes are harmful, but some pathogens within that tiny percentage can be deadly. Certain microbes cause infectious diseases, non-infectious chronic diseases, some forms of cancer, and coronary heart disease. They take the forms of viruses, bacteria, protozoan (single-celled organisms), and fungi that pose a real threat to the population.

Examples of infectious diseases caused by microbes are the common cold, chickenpox, German measles, whooping cough, bubonic plague, tuberculosis, flu, malaria, ringworm, pneumonia, and bone infections.^[4]

6 Microbial Art Has an Expiration Date

Bacteria are virtually invisible while being painted. Colors only emerge after 24-48 hours, but once fully mature, they remain vibrant for months. Once the colors begin to fade, the artwork must be securely disposed of in an autoclave, which uses pressurized steam to kill the bacteria completely. It is an essential safety precaution because it prevents antibiotics from being released into the environment, which could ultimately result in antibiotic resistance.

It’s just one of many strict safety precautions required for agar art. While working with the bacteria, a lab coat, protective eyewear, and gloves are required. Open-toed shoes are prohibited, while spray bottles with bleach and paper towels are an everyday staple at workstations. For some, the safety protocols raise concerns regarding amateur microbiologists who’ve taken up the craft.

Kevin Brown, curator of the Alexander Fleming Laboratory in London, explains. “The production of such works demands the skills of the bacteriologist as much as the eye of the artist. Amateurs working with bacteria could pose dangers to themselves and the wider world.”^[5]

5 The Father of Microbial Art

Microbial art was the brainchild of Scottish bacteriologist Alexander Fleming (1881–1955), which led to an important and unexpected discovery. An amateur watercolor painter, Fleming eventually began experimenting with a new living and breathing medium [LINK 8]. While it isn’t clear what inspired him to start painting microbes, some suggest it might have resulted from his work at St. Mary’s Hospital in London, where he treated syphilis cases. Many of his patients were painters who may have given him lessons in return for treatment.

Fleming found joy in discovering new strains and adding bacteria with the colors he needed to his palette. His quirky hobby did much more than entertain; it changed the world. One day, Fleming noticed a new, strange “lighter body” on one of his creations designed to look like a night sky. Upon closer inspection, he saw all the bacteria around the foreign body were dying. It turned out to be the Penicillium fungus, which produces the compound penicillin—the world’s first antibiotic that has saved more lives than any other discovery.^[6]

4 An Annual Agar Art Contest

The American Society of Microbiology (ASM) held the first of what would be an annual microbial art contest in 2015. In the years since, contest winners worldwide have created images of almost everything you could imagine—from peacocks to dandelions to portraits of their favorite microbiologists—all made from microbes.

The contest is open to everyone: scientists, artists, non-artists, and even kids. Community labs offer public art workshops with bioengineered microbes (a safer choice for beginners). At-home kits are also available, allowing everyone to brew agar and grow their own bacteria masterpiece. Winners receive up to $200 cash prizes and will see their art permanently displayed on the ASM’s website.

The annual agar art contest brings this oft-overlooked art form out of the shadows and into the spotlight. Contest submissions have been featured worldwide via media outlets (like National Geographic), public events, podcasts, exhibits, a United Nations General Assembly in 2019, and even on X/Twitter (#AgarArt).^[7]

3 Bacteria Are Better Than They Seem

One of the main intentions behind the Agar Art contest is to foster an awareness of an otherwise misunderstood microbe’s hidden beauty and diversity. David Westenberg, microbiologist and a professor of biological studies for over 27 years, explains:

“Most people think of bacteria as being bad, unhealthy [or] gross, but as a microbiologist, I know that the vast majority of bacteria are harmless and often beneficial… At the same time, we have to be aware that there are harmful bacteria out there, and we can’t always tell the difference.”

Westenberg is one of many who see the potential of this unparalleled art form to unite people of all backgrounds and ages by providing a better understanding- and a healthy dose of cautious respect—for the organisms that have not only shaped but continue to shape the world.^[8]

2 Merging Science and Art

Microbial art has turned scientists into artists—and vice versa. One of the first non-scientists to get in on this unique art form, Maria Peñil Cobo, a mixed-media artist, has spent almost 15 years learning to grow colorful bacteria and paint the microbes into captivating masterpieces under the instruction of Mehmet Berkman, Ph.D., a staff scientist at the Ipswich, Massachusetts-based company New England Biolabs.

While Peñil often looks to nature as an inspiration for her artwork, that isn’t always the case. One of her creations was made from the bacteria on her lips after kissing the petri dish. The method is not uncommon; Swiss microbiologist Hammes regularly isolates artistic bacteria from the soles of his feet. Peñil has also created an impressive artwork using the germs that grew from her house key.

Peñil and Berkman snagged the first place prize and the Popular People’s Choice award in the 2015 Agar Art competition. Berkman describes the relationship microbial art creates between science and art, personified by their partnership. “When we do science, there is always an element of art, and while Maria is doing pure art, there is an element of science in what we are observing. We are observing scientific phenomena.”^[9]

1 Endless Possibilities

Many contest winners feature themes centered around science, space, nature, and animals, but microbes allow for an endless variety of artwork. Microbial art has seen some surprisingly precise reproductions of history’s most famous paintings, such as Van Gogh’s The Starry Night and Edvard Munch’s The Scream, as well as some familiar faces. In 2019, a portrait of Ruth Bader Ginsberg tied for second place winner. Nintendo’s Mario has even made an appearance. So have some M.C. Escher tessellations, infusing a little math into the mix.

Of course, some creations are just for fun. Examples include a Valentine’s themed artwork asking a particular recipient to “be my microbe” and a glow-in-the-dark creation featuring a bioluminescent bacteria (Photobacterium leiognathi). This one served as both a birthday card and nightlight for the daughter of a microbiologist while she was away at summer camp.

Regardless of theme or purpose, one thing is for sure: agar art sends a message about microbes that has proven difficult using conventional scientific language. In the words of microbiologist David Westenberg: “Bacteria have been around since the beginning of time; they were the first living organisms. They’ve had billions of years to evolve. They’ve covered every niche on the planet, they do amazing things for our environment, and we’re learning now how important they are for our own health… We don’t have to be afraid of them. We just have to respect them.”^[10]