Art: ENEA “restorer” bacteria take center stage in bioart project

The ‘restorer’ bacteria from the ENEA microbial collection have become an integral part of contemporary artworks thanks to a project by artist Alessia Forconi, who created two marble sculptures, Gea and Linfa, using live microorganisms.

ENEA Researchers Patrizia Paganin, Flavia Tasso and Chiara Alisi from the Laboratory of Technologies for the Protection of Architectural and Cultural Heritage (Sustainability Department) took part in the project, providing expertise in the field of microbiology and microorganisms from the ENEA collection, which contains a wealth of bacteria and fungi collected, studied and preserved for bioremediation applications in the restoration and conservation of cultural heritage.

"The microorganisms were selected with particular attention to safety: they are environmental strains, non-pathogenic and non-genetically modified, isolated from sites of great archaeological and historical value, like the Mercareccia Tomb in Tarquinia (Viterbo) and the Chapel of the Palace of the Popes in Avignon, as well as  contaminated areas of national interest like Bagnoli (Naples) and Ingurtosu (Cagliari)," explained ENEA researcher Patrizia Paganin. “Many of these microorganisms,” she went on “have already established a dialogue with art history: they contributed to the biorestauration of Michelangelo's funerary monuments in the New Sacristy of the Medici Chapels in Florence and the biopurification of Jacopo Sansovino's Madonna del Parto in Rome, among the most recent interventions conducted by ENEA.”

In Gea, the work which represents the Earth, the microorganisms are not in direct contact with the marble and the external environment, but are enclosed in a sphere placed on the head of the statue and containing the culture medium. “Inside, the bacteria grew, mutated and transformed, giving rise to different colors, shapes, and textures that evolved over time, making the work alive and ever changing: a true dialogue between matter, energy and microscopic life” explained artist Alessia Forconi. The work without bacteria is currently on display at the Royal Palace of Portici until April 12, but the microorganisms will soon return to the statue.

“In Linfa, the artist wanted to use our microorganisms to create chromatic patinas on marble, a fascinating and also fun challenge, because we usually use them for the opposite process: biopurification, i.e., the removal of those same patinas from stone surfaces” said the ENEA researcher.

“Compared to Gea, Linfa is a more experimental work because it was exhibited in the gardens of the historic Palazzo Mezzacapo in Maiori, in an environment already heavily colonized by microorganisms, where the marble, treated with a culture medium for bacteria and fungi provided by ENEA, remained in direct contact with the natural environment,” concluded artist Alessia Forconi.

[1]Until April 12, 2026, at the Royal Palace of Caserta, as part of the exhibition “NOISMI. For a future without isms,” it will be possible to admire “Gea” but without the bacteria, which will soon be reintegrated into the work. The exhibition, curated by Michele Citro, is a journey between past and present, from Futurism to contemporary creativity. Over 50 masterpieces are on display, including works by Umberto Boccioni, Leoncillo Leonardi, Mario Schifano, Tano Festa, Vettor Pisani, and many other leading figures in Italian art.