A living copy of Vincent van Gogh's ear has been grown and put on display in a museum in Germany. The Associated Press reports that artist Diemut Strebe took samples from Lieuwe van Gogh, the great-great-grandson to Vincent's brother Theo, after failing to acquire genetic material from the deceased virtuoso. She then shaped the cells into the painter's severed ear with a 3D printer. Strebe says the organ is currently being kept alive in a nourishing fluid and could "theoretically last for years." It's possible for visitors at the exhibit to actually "talk" to the disembodied organ, according to the museum's website. The sounds are processed by software which then stimulates the ear's nerve impulses in real time.

Strebe is looking to create more installations using genetic material from the van Gogh bloodline, and is currently working to include mitochondrial DNA from a female relative. The exhibit is being held at The Center for Art and Media in Karlsruhe and will continue until July 6th.