Monica Bello on arts@CERN: Bridging Art and Fundamental Research

Monica Bello, director of arts@CERN since 2015, leads the program that invites artists from all disciplines to engage with fundamental research at CERN in Geneva. Founded in 2011 by Ariane Koek, arts@CERN runs four annual open calls for artists to develop projects within the scientific environment. Bello emphasizes multidisciplinarity, selecting artists who seek excellence and are willing to immerse themselves in CERN's rules and culture. Scientists involved must have genuine interest in art. The program fosters non-linear thinking and contemplation, producing innovative visual documents through dialogues and archival materials. Bello highlights that art should not illustrate science but explore it unconventionally, aiming for mutual illumination and social impact.