Only few artists reflect the tremendous potential of ArtSci cooperations as convincingly as Maria Pomiansky and her work. Maria was one of the first artists who in 2015 together with a group of her peers from Zurich University of the Arts joined in and helped us develop a unique NCCR MSE ethics matrix "Art of Molecule". Since then, we successfully realized numerous projects together with Maria – all of them contributing significantly to our efforts to bridge the communication gap between the sciences and society by means of artistic confrontation with our research.
Over the years, Maria spent many days in our labs in Basel and Zurich, drawing, sketching and painting (about) our work: we produced an NCCR sketchbook and with external financial support even managed to buy one of her large-scale oil on canvas paintings called "The Placebo Effect". This artwork depicts a scenery of one of our NCCR labs and is exhibited in the chemistry building of the University of Basel.
The exhibition examines the productive interplay of sickness and pain, medicine, care and healing through 300 exhibits, over 250 of which are being made available by more than 40 national and international lenders. Early examples date back to the 15th century, while the most recent are works from 2022 produced specially for the exhibition.
In direct neighbourhood to artworks form Alberto Giacometti, Damien Hirst and Paul Klee a painting by Maria Pomiansky of one our the NCCR MSE labs is on display.
https://www.kunsthaus.ch/besuch-planen/ausstellungen/kunst-und-medizin/
In March 2021, Maria amongst 55 finalists was nominated for the Swiss Art Awards for three paintings of hers including one depicting a working scene of two NCCR PhD researchers in one of our labs; and in September 2021 during Art Basel, it was announced that Maria Pomiansky won the Swiss Art Awards!
https://swissartawards.ch/participants/maria-pomiansky/
Congratulations, Maria, from all of us here at the NCCR MSE. And thank you for helping us spread the word about our research to a public which we otherwise most certainly could have never reached.
- Ralf Stutzki, Head Ethics NCCR MSE -
Maria Pomiansky holds a MA in Fine Arts (2015) and in Scenography (2007), Zurich University of the Arts; a BA in Fine Arts (1997), Bezalel Academy of Art and Design Jerusalem and studied graphic design at the Moscow College of Art and Design (1986 – 1990) in Moscow.
https://mariapomiansky.wordpress.com/
Maria is also the author of the NCCR MSE Sketchbook.