Images of transformation
Everything flows, nothing remains. This insight from the Greek philosopher Heraclitus, along with themes of transience and transformation, forms the focus of an exhibition currently on view at MDC-BIMSB in Berlin-Mitte. The artist is Dr. Eleonora Adami, an Italian scientist and postdoc in the Genetics and Genomics of Cardiovascular Diseases lab of Professor Norbert Hübner, Campus Berlin-Buch.
Titled “Metamorphosis,” the exhibition includes colorful digital illustrations inspired by Dadaist and Surrealist art, and cyanotype prints featuring abstract shapes and botanical elements in shades of blue. “The images differ in technique and approach, but they are connected by the theme of transformation,” says Adami. The title “Metamorphosis” stands for two concepts: the shift from the ordinary in surrealist works and for the chemical transition and conceptual transformation in the more abstract cyanotypes.
A virus in the sky
As a postdoc, Adami studies molecular changes in heart tissue caused by cardiomyopathies. The heart, but also the coronavirus pandemic, are recurring themes in the selected illustrations. In one image, for instance, a rubber duck floats in a body of water seemingly illuminated by the sun. On closer inspection, the spherical SARS-CoV-2 virus particles with their spike proteins floating in the sky become recognizable.
The exhibition will be on display at the MDC-BIMSB until the end of January.
Another digital collage features Florence Nightingale, the nurse and statistician born in Italy in 1820, juxtaposed against a graphic representation of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This piece, previously exhibited at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, is also on display at MDC-BIMSB until the end of January. “In my illustrations, I use methods of Surrealist art. I play with scale, repetition, and impossible actions,” explains Adami. “They are meant to challenge viewers’ perceptions.”
A play on associations
The cyanotype images explore emotional themes such as entanglement, transience, and fragility. On Adami's website, they are accompanied by association networks she created during the conceptualization process. “This brainstorming process often leads to unexpected connections between ideas, which I then translate visually,” she says.
Eleonora Adami and Norbert Hübner at the exhibition opening on December 2nd, 2024, at the MDC-BIMSB.
Adami’s work has received much praise, including from her group leader. “Eleonora has a unique ability to transform complex scientific concepts into visually captivating stories, Hübner remarked during the opening of the exhibition. “This helps to share her research with new audiences and gives her the ability to explain it with a fresh perspective and relevance.” Her illustrations have been featured not only at UNESCO but also at the Expo in Dubai and on the covers of scientific journals. “Eleonora’s art and science enrich one another, and she enriches those around her,” Hübner added.
She has always been fascinated by the intersection of art and science, Adami says. Both disciplines, she notes, are driven by a desire to understand and interpret the world. “I believe they complement each other beautifully: While science seeks structure and explanations, art relies on emotions and imagination.” What does she hope for from those visiting her exhibition? “I want them to engage with the works, to ask themselves how they were created, what they mean – and to formulate their own interpretations.”
Text: Anke Brodmerkel
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