For more than a decade, CERN, the European Laboratory for Particle Physics in Geneva, Switzerland, has been ahead of the curve, hosting artists in residence as one of the first scientific institutions to recognize the potential of cross-disciplinary collaboration between art and science.
Founded in 1954, CERN was born as a means to revive scientific excellence in Europe, foster peaceful collaboration and push the boundaries of human knowledge in science and technology. Today, it remains one of the most advanced centers for investigating the universe’s subatomic structure. Home to the Large Hadron Collider—the world’s most powerful particle accelerator—CERN was where physicists confirmed the existence of the Higgs boson in 2012, a breakthrough that reshaped our understanding of fundamental physics. It’s also where the World Wide Web was conceived, originally as a tool for scientists to share data before evolving into the digital backbone of modern life.
Since launching its first residency in 2012, the Arts at CERN program has provided artists with rare access to physics experts working on the world’s largest and most complex scientific instruments, all in pursuit of the biggest questions about the universe. The initiative fosters a collision of art and science—not just as a metaphor but as a tangible exchange that expands inquiry, research and creative discovery. Artists in the program enter the lab, engage in dialogue with physicists and conduct research that informs new works, many of which go on to circulate in the contemporary art world. This bridge between artistic practice and scientific exploration creates a dynamic two-way exchange: artists gain firsthand exposure to cutting-edge physics while scientists encounter new ways of thinking and communicating their work. Over the past twelve years, Arts at CERN has hosted more than 200 artists in residence and produced over thirty-five artworks, many of which have since been showcased in some of the world’s most prestigious museums. The program’s ever-growing roster includes international artists like Tania Candiani, Haroon Mirza, Mika Rottenberg and Suzanne Treister, among many others.
In anticipation of their upcoming annual summit, “Uncertainty: CERN Art and Science Summit 2025,” happening on February 5, Observer sat down with curator Mónica Bello, who has led the program now for years. We discussed how this radical experiment in artistic-scientific collaboration has evolved and what happens when contemporary artists step into one of the world’s most advanced research centers—where the fundamental nature of reality is being dissected, questioned and redefined.
“CERN is a place for fundamental science, which already requires creativity,” Mónica Bello tells Observer. “You need a particular way of approaching questions, and often the procedure or the way to do it is to go through, you know, the unusual, detours and the unexpected failure. All these processes are very similar to the artistic practice: seeing things differently, to propose ideas and testing possibilities.”
The ability to think creatively, particularly through artistic practice, has been proven to facilitate and accelerate innovation by opening alternative ways to question and archive the truth, pushing beyond the immediate present. Immersed in CERN’s vibrant laboratory environment and engaging with a scientific community of 7,000 scientists, engineers and staff, artists expand their research with fresh questions on the structure of nature and reality while also embracing aspects of the scientific method. “Being in this environment helps them to understand how you cannot take for granted what one knows about physics or what we can read in the news, in the literature, scientific literature, scientific communication,” Bello says, underscoring the necessity for artists to spend time in the lab and engage directly with the experts there. “Each experience deals with the challenge of being in a fascinating place. Also, sometimes you can get lost and doubt. You can doubt all that you’ve done and known before here. For us, it’s essential that the artists spend time in the laboratory and deal with these questions. Then the individual experience is very singular.”
Artists coming to CERN aren’t necessarily there to engage with direct scientific facts. They might be drawn to the residency for the opportunity to approach science and scientific research from entirely different perspectives. Some are more interested in the materiality of science, the artifact or an ethnographic approach or in seeing nature differently and entering aspects of uncertainty, according to Bello. This ability to grapple with the unknown is central to how artists at CERN interact with the universe’s deepest mysteries, mirroring the way physicists move forward—through questions, tests, attempts and failures.
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This is why the selection process prioritizes artists with a genuine curiosity about spending time in a particle physics laboratory and an ability to provoke meaningful questions through unexpected proposals. “I don’t mean that they need to be new, more innovative or something that we haven’t seen before, but it’s key the way one expresses the question and approaches the inquiry. With a good question, you can trigger maybe not many answers, but see the richness of the world around you.”
While artists at CERN have full access to the laboratories and work closely with physicists, they must adhere to strict safety protocols and procedures. But, Bello clarifies, the real essence of the residency isn’t about seeing the machines up close or getting hands-on with heavy engineering—it’s about engaging, discussing and exchanging ideas with the scientific community. “The artists spend time with the scientists, yes, but working with an accelerator or on particle physics is not something artists can do; often, the artist starts from a straightforward information point,” she says. “This is the place where materiality is revealed very differently, but an extraordinary aspect of our residencies is that you are part of the scientific community that is dealing with fundamentals about reality.”
CERN and MIT were among the first scientific institutions to experiment with artist residencies, but today, the intersection of art, science and technology has become a widely recognized tool—not only for advancing knowledge but also for interrogating the use and impact of contemporary technologies. Artists play a crucial role in making complex scientific data and ideas more accessible, transforming them into narratives and experiences that resonate beyond academic circles and traditional scientific discourse.
“I think there is interest in understanding how we can do things together,” Bello says, reflecting on the growing phenomenon of cross-disciplinary collaborations between art and science. She sees this as particularly vital in today’s institutional crisis, where traditional structures are being questioned and new approaches are needed to hybridize different branches of knowledge and find in reality a broader spectrum of possibilities.
“The point is to understand what’s core and how society can benefit from our progress, not just from machines, household appliances or motorways, but with many more things beyond the utilitarian aspect of life,” she says. “I think it is an exciting moment in society. It’s a turning point in which we ask fundamental questions to understand our position in the universe as part of a broader network of relations, forces and energies.”
Years of residencies and case studies at CERN have proven not only that this model works but that it yields essential results. The Arts at CERN program plays a crucial role in supporting the production of works that emerge from these experiences and ensuring their circulation in museums and institutions worldwide. But even the most prestigious museums have their limits when it comes to exhibiting these works—what’s sometimes missing, Bello says, is the dynamic spirit with which these works were being produced or initially conceived. To put it another way, context is lacking. “The distribution of these works and projects produced during the residency should also emphasize an understanding of how this particular context and critical conditions helped to enrich and nurture new and different realities,” and the key lies in creating moments of exchange and dialogue—through panels, talks and international gatherings that allow the ideas generated in these residencies to resonate beyond the final artifact.
The structure of the program and the community surrounding it are constantly evolving. Artists come and go, sometimes staying only a few weeks before returning with new materials, fresh ideas and an expanded perspective on their research. While Arts at CERN typically hosts around twenty residents per year, they’ve avoided setting a fixed number since the pandemic to allow for the varied rhythms, methodologies and processes different artists bring to the program.
Since 2023, artworks created during these residencies have found a permanent showcase at CERN Science Gateway, where rotating exhibitions show work from resident artists. But the real convergence of this community happens at the aforementioned annual summit, first launched in 2024. The second edition will bring together artists who have participated in Arts at CERN alongside leading voices from literature, philosophy, science, art and music to foster conversations between artists and scientists. Titled “Uncertainty,” it aligns with UNESCO’s declaration of 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, celebrating the transformative impact quantum science has had over the past century on tech, culture and our fundamental understanding of the world.
