A Virtual exhibition on the “Transformation” taking place on the occasion of UNESCO’s 41st General Conference in November this year
UNESCO has invited applications from women of all ages who are contributing in the field of science from around the world to showcase their artistic works on the reaction to and fight against the pandemic of COVID-19 in an international exhibition.
The virtual exhibition on the theme “Transformation” will take place on the occasion of UNESCO’s 41st General Conference in November 2021, in which representatives of 193 countries will participate.
According to UNESCO, the women in science including scientists, researchers, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, engineers, architects or in any other STEM areas (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) can apply for the exhibition.
The artworks may capture both pain and hope and provide a new reading of societies that are slowly emerging from the pandemic as art has the power to provoke, motivate, inspire, illuminate and bring about change and when art meets science, it enters into new realms of realization and purpose.
The exhibition is open to all kinds of artwork related to the pandemic, whether digital or physical, such as paintings or other artistic images, photographs, sculptures, posters or any other diverse, innovative and original artworks. If the art is of a non-digital format, photographs of the artwork can be submitted as part of the application.
The UNESCO’s data has revealed that only one of three scientific researchers is women, even though they represent between 45-55 percent of the university students and 44% of those enrolled in PhD programs.
Moreover, 26 percent of women scientists informed and raised awareness among the general public about the COVID-19 pandemic, but only 8 percent of women scientists participated in coordinating policy responses at an institutional level.
During the current global crisis, both women and men have faced difficulties, yet women have to struggle, additionally, with systemic gender-based inequalities. They remain largely invisible and bear disproportionately the consequences of the crisis, even though they have been at the front line in combating the pandemic.
This situation creates a need for them to be heard and communicate their unique experiences of how their lives and perspectives have been transformed by the pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed the way people interact and live in our societies, and at the same time inspired many women to pursue creative expressions to share their experiences. The selected artists and their works will be presented online only however a limited physical exhibition may be organized depending on the circumstances. Selected artists may be requested to participate in a virtual Question and Answer session during the 41st Session of UNESCO’s General Conference in November 2021. According to the requirements, each artwork should be submitted as a low-resolution image in JPG format, which must be no more than 10 MB in size. If selected, artworks with higher resolution will be requested for submission.
After receiving all the applications, the entries will be examined by a UNESCO-led panel of international experts, who will select the best entries. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to submit high-resolution images of their work and will undergo a round of interviews where they will be given the opportunity to better present their artworks, inspiration, and creation.
Selected artists will be requested to sign a copyrights permission form. The artworks of 20 finalists will be selected to be part of the ‘Creative Resilience Art by Women in Science’ art exhibit. Selected artists will be contacted at the end of August 2021 and final results will be communicated by mid-September.
Source Urdu Point