Swine flu as a work of art

I said from the outset of this blog that I wanted to look at how artists 'saw' swine flu. It may seem slightly politically incorrect to use something as potentially fatal as swine flu for inspiration but artists have always used major events in our society in that way. But hats off to artist Luke Jerram who has shown swine flu in a whole new light with his art of the virus as a glass sculpture. Most photos you see used in newspapers are coloured in to make them look a bit more dramatic but Luke has shown that in its true transparent state it is equally captivating. His exhibition, Virology, opens at The Smithfield Gallery in London today and runs until October 3. My thanks to Luke for permission to use the picture (above).