exhibition 2025

The exhibition “Nowotwórczość (Onco-creation) – At the Crossroads of Science and Art” invites reflection and dialogue on how the resources of science and art can be used to support cancer patients. Bringing together these two seemingly distant worlds may help change how we perceive the experience of illness and help those who are healthy become more familiar with oncology.

Scientists from the Centre for Translational Research and Molecular Biology of Cancer at the National Research Institute of Oncology in Gliwice have shared images captured during their research on cancer cells. They believe that these images can help both patients and healthy individuals better understand and reduce the fear often associated with cancer.

By revealing the visual dimension of oncology, we aim to make this complex and multidimensional subject more accessible to a broader audience. Through authentic imagery, we seek to fill the visual gap in oncology – to nourish the sense of sight and, in doing so, ease the anxieties that stem from the unknown.

The exhibition presents microscopic images in the form of small-format works created by scientists. Here, the researcher takes on the role of artist and guide, striving to present complex aspects of cancer biology in an accessible and human way, offering a glimpse into its intricate structure. Looking at these images, one might feel as though gazing at something from another world – glowing, shimmering with colour, evoking associations with the cosmos, coral reefs, or city lights at night. They are fascinating, inspiring, and beautiful.

We hope that the exhibition “Nowotwórczość (Onco-creation) – At the Crossroads of Science and Art” will serve as the beginning of a conversation that leads to a new perspective on how cancer is perceived. We believe it will deepen understanding, make science more approachable, and foster clearer communication in oncology.