Tabakalera opens the “Quantum Visions” exhibition with the collaboration of the DIPC

As part of the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology that is taking place in 2025, Tabakalera is opening the Quantum Visions exhibition, a collection of contemporary artworks curated by the Head of Arts at CERN, Mónica Bello, featuring the work of eleven artists.

• The Quantum Visions exhibition explores how the fundamentals of quantum physics, such as indeterminacy, probability and uncertainty, inspire new forms of expression and thinking in contemporary art.
• The exhibition is the result of an international collaboration between the CERN research centre, through its Arts at CERN art programme, the DIPC and Tabakalera, and it will travel to Basel and Eindhoven once the exhibition closes in June.
• Curated by Mónica Bello, it brings together works by eleven world-renowned artists, including Jaione Camborda, winner of the Golden Shell at the San Sebastian Film Festival in 2023, and Abelardo Gil-Fournier.
• Parts of the exhibition and its educational programme and activities will be touring other leading venues in the Basque Country, such as the Guggenheim Museum and Azkuna Zentroa Alhóndiga Bilbao, with the support of the Basque Government’s Department of Science, Universities and Innovation.

As part of its tenth anniversary celebrations and the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, Tabakalera is opening Quantum Visions, an exhibition that explores the many possibilities of the quantum universe through contemporary artistic practices. Curated by Mónica Bello, Head of Arts at CERN, the exhibition brings together the works of eleven international artists: Alice Bucknell, 2023 Golden Shell winner Jaione Camborda, Libby Heaney, Joan Heemskerk, Abelardo Gil-Fournier, Nicole L’Huillier, Yunchul Kim, Adriana Knouf, Yuri Pattison, Marina Rosenfeld and Semiconductor (Ruth Jarman & Joe Gerhardt).

Quantum Visions is the result of a collaboration between Tabakalera, CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research), through its Arts at CERN art programme, the Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC), the Tekniker technology and research centre and the HEK (Haus der Elektronischen Künste) and MU Hybrid Art House art centres in Basel and Eindhoven respectively, which will also be hosting the exhibition at their respective venues. The exhibition is also supported by the Basque Government’s Department of Science, Universities and Innovation and the Department of Economic Development and Strategic Projects of the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa.

A space for dissemination and an introduction to quantum science.

Throughout the 20th century, quantum physics revolutionised the way we understand the universe. Concepts such as uncertainty, probability and indeterminacy have transformed not only science, but also the way we see the world. Quantum Visions examines this revolution to explore the ways in which quantum science inspires new ways of thinking, questions certainties and redefines the limits of our knowledge.

In the central area of the exhibition hall, as a foretaste of the exhibition, the creative studio Morgancrea and the DIPC have joined forces to design an innovative space for the dissemination of quantum physics. Via a six-screen installation, visitors will be able to access educational and thought-provoking content that makes it easier to understand the fundamental concepts of quantum physics. This project is designed to make the complex principles of quantum physics easier to understand for the general public, further cementing Tabakalera’s commitment to disseminating knowledge and engaging with a wide range of audiences. This “small display” within the main exhibition will be travelling to Gasteiz and Bilbao – more precisely to Azkuna Zentroa Alhóndiga Bilbao – in mid-October, with the support of the Department of Science, Universities and Innovation.

Tabakalera’s impact on artistic and scientific creations.

Tabakalera began its journey in the realms of Art, Science, Technology and Society in 2020, which is also when Medialab was opened, a space for the public to unleash its creativity, with the aim of creating knowledge through encounters between artists and researchers.

This working approach is based on the premise that research and co-creation not only enhance artistic production, but also have a significant impact on creativity and innovation in science and technology. Interactions between different disciplines open up new perspectives and scenarios that transcend the purely technical, and the resulting creations offer the public a different way to engage with issues of social importance in science and technology. They also help to create new knowledge and provide alternative interpretations of reality.

Since then, the centre has developed several projects and prototypes that combine artistic and scientific creativity: the audiovisual installation Supraspectives by the Quadrature collective (2020), the interactive robotic installation Dream Painter by the artistic duo Varvara & Mar (2022), the robotic installation Holobot. Social Garden by the VR- Kommand collective (2022), the Clouds of Pollen installation by the Grown Your Own Cloud collection (2022), and the prototypes displayed in the Máquinas de ingenio exhibition (2023).

These have now been joined by the Quantum Visions exhibition, cementing Tabakalera’s reputation as a leading international venue for combining different disciplines to address contemporary challenges.

Mediation and dissemination programme with leading experts in art and quantum physics.

Alongside the exhibition, Tabakalera has designed an extensive public mediation programme that includes guided tours, lectures and roundtables with artists, scientists and experts in quantum physics, film screenings, workshops run by the artists taking part in the exhibition and various educational activities designed for all audiences.

Thanks to the strategic partnership with the Basque Government’s Department of Science, Universities and Innovation, various dissemination activities and materials have been designed (conferences, children’s workshops, etc.), which will be featured in science dissemination events and programmes like NAUKAS, BILBO ZIENTZIA PLAZA and BIDEBARRIETA CIENTÍFICA, and also in artistic institutions of the calibre of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao.

The participants in this programme include prominent figures such as the curator and researcher Jon Uriarte, the education collective Maushaus, the science popularisers Rocío Vidal (La Gata de Schrödinger) and José Luis Crespo (Quantum Fracture), the Director of the DIPC Ricardo Díez Muiño and the philosopher Mijo Lizarzaburu, who, together with other artists, scientists and experts, will enrich the programme with their knowledge and perspectives on quantum physics and its influence on contemporary art.