Lara Tabet's Bacteria-Grown Photographs at BMW's Arles Exhibition

Lebanese artist and medical biologist Lara Tabet presents 'Le corps vitré (Vitreous Body)' at Cloître Saint-Trophime during Rencontres d'Arles, curated by Yasmine Chemali for the BMW ART MAKERS 2026 program. Tabet's 'bacteriography' technique uses bacteria from Marseille water samples to consume gelatin on unexposed color photographic film, creating images without a camera. The exhibition runs from July 6 to October 4, 2026. Each panel is backlit, resembling stained glass, and includes bacteriological analysis data. A monumental altarpiece combines samples from Marseille's rivers and canals, using agar-based bioplastic that remains biologically active. Tabet's work draws on posthuman feminism and hydrofeminism, making visible microscopic life and human-microbial coexistence.