Linda Alterwitz's 'Injection Site' Monograph Documents COVID-19 Vaccine Responses Through Thermal Photography
In September 2026, MW Editions is set to release Injection Site, a monograph by Linda Alterwitz that showcases 65 black-and-white images captured with a thermal camera from 2021 to 2023. This initiative was sparked by her neighbor Alice, who experienced arm discomfort following her initial COVID-19 vaccination. Over a span of three years, Alterwitz documented 130 individuals at various intervals, ranging from twenty minutes to thirty days after vaccination, to illustrate inflammation patterns. The publication will include a foreword by Leah Ollman and will feature an interactive installation where attendees can anonymously share their reasons for receiving or opting out of the vaccine. Born in 1960 in Gary, Indiana, Alterwitz's work is part of collections such as the Getty Research Institute. The 112-page book is priced at $55 and measures 9 x 10 inches.
Key facts
- Injection Site by Linda Alterwitz will be published by MW Editions in September 2026.
- The book contains 65 black-and-white photographs and 112 pages, priced at $55.
- Alterwitz photographed 130 participants from 2021 to 2023, from twenty minutes to thirty days after COVID-19 vaccination.
- The project began when a neighbor, Alice, had arm pain nine days after vaccination.
- A thermal camera was used to visualize inflammation beneath the skin.
- The project included a participatory installation where visitors answered why they did or did not receive the vaccine on sticky notes.
- Leah Ollman wrote the foreword; she has written for the Los Angeles Times and Art in America.
- Alterwitz was born in 1960 in the United States and grew up in Gary, Indiana.
- Her work is in collections including the Getty Research Institute and Center for Creative Photography.
- She received a Nevada Arts Council Fellowship for Visual Arts in 2025 and 2014.
Entities
Artists
- Linda Alterwitz
- Leah Ollman
- Richard Ross
- William L. Fox
- Amy Wilkins
- Takaaki Matsumoto
Institutions
- MW Editions
- D.A.P.
- Lenscratch
- FORMAT25
- Museum of Art & History
- PST ART: Art & Science Collide
- Getty Initiative
- New Mexico Museum of Art
- Institute for Art + Environment
- Center for Creative Photography
- Getty Research Institute
- Hilliard Museum of Art
- Nelson Atkins Special Collections Library
- Santa Barbara Museum of Art Fearing Library
- Rochester Institute of Technology
- Wallace Library
- Nevada Arts Council
- Healthy Communities Coalition
- Montana Arts Council
- Saint Lucy Books
- Matsumoto Incorporated
- Los Angeles Times
- Art in America
Locations
- Gary
- Indiana
- United States
- Lake Michigan
- Derby
- United Kingdom
- Lancaster
- California
- Santa Fe
- New Mexico
- Reno
- Nevada
- Tucson
- Arizona
- Los Angeles
- Lafayette
- Louisiana
- Kansas City
- Missouri
- Santa Barbara
- Rochester
- New York
- New York City