Arts at CERN

The exhibition explores the contradiction and doubt that arise in the face of a world whose ultimate essence escapes our direct perception

Over the last century, the landscapes in which we move seem to intertwine, branch and gesticulate. Throughout this period, it has been confirmed that the universe, at all scales, is quantum. Reality is described in terms of probabilistic principles, and our way of conceiving the world has been revolutionised. The profound change caused by the theory of relativity and quantum mechanics in the 20th century transcended the boundaries of science, generating an impact on other disciplines and challenging previous certainties. While relativity demonstrated that simultaneity depends on motion, quantum mechanics revealed a world governed by chance.

Visiones cuánticas (Quantum Visions) takes its name from the multiplicity of perspectives from which quantum physics is approached and reflects the fact that the possibilities and contradictions of the universe inspire diverse approaches. The exhibition brings together eleven artists whose works are based on the idea that reality is, to a large extent, arbitrary. In a quantum universe, what seems certain vanishes, and possibility and contradiction become keys to understanding reality.

The exhibition is conceived as a kaleidoscope of perspectives that represent a rethinking of the physical world and extend the quantum debate to the human sciences. Through their works, the artists question the limits of knowledge and propose new ways of understanding reality. In this space of convergence, art and science dialogue about the uncertain and imprecise. Both disciplines use simil and analogy as tools to explore and speculate about the infinite possibilities of the quantum world.

Quantum Visions is curated by Mónica Bello, Head of Arts at CERN. The exhibition is a collaboration between the Laboratory’s arts programme, Arts at CERN, the Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC) and Tabakalera (Donostia).  The exhibition will travel to HEK (Haus der Elektronischen Künste) in Basel and MU Hybrid Art House in Eindhoven. The exhibition and its public programme is part of the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology.