Making Art From Cancer

Making art out of cancer doesn’t sound easy. But renowned street artist James Cochran, also known as jimmy c, has done just that, with his latest piece of art, 'Cell Defence'. In partnership with the Institute of Cancer Research in London, where it now lives, Cochran used a lab pipette to layer more than 50,000 dots of paint onto his canvas, to symbolize the creativity and commitment of the scientists who work every day to eradicate cancer.

This week on the “CURE® Talks Cancer” podcast, CURE® spoke with Cochran about what it was like to take on a project of this size, and what he hopes the painting will bring those who admire it.

In his interpretation of an image of liver cancer cells being attacked by “good” immune system cells, Cochran noted that he immediately was struck by the art he saw in the science of cancer research. “What was going on in the image biologically aside, I straightaway was drawn by the beauty of these biopsies,” he said. “My first thought was that it was aesthetically a very beautiful image.”

“In the end, I want it to be seen as a positive image,” Cochran concludes. “Hopefully one that can inspire transformation and healing within the patient.”