By José Angelo Santilli
Five nanoart works by Brazilian plastic artist Enio Longo are part of the international exhibition ‘3D Museum of NanoArt’, in the United States, under the curatorship of scientist and artist Cris Orfescu, founder of the organization NanoArt 21 and the Academy of NanoArt. In all, there are 45 works selected by artists from different countries. The only Brazilian at the show, representing the Functional Materials Development Center (CDMF), Enio exhibits the following works: Covid, Diffusion, Amazon bleeds and burns, Amazon and Dante’s Inferno.
The exhibition’s curator considers nanoart a more attractive and effective way to spread science to the general public, and also a way to inform people about the new technologies of the 21st century. “Nanoart increases public awareness of nanotechnology and its impact on our lives,” says Orfescu.
Nanoart reveals structures to the public that are only visualized through research equipment such as scanning electron microscopes and atomic force microscopes. These images are captured and further processed using different artistic techniques to convert them into works of art.
A pioneer in nanoart, since 2009 Enio has been a member of the CDMF core that develops the Nanoarte Project, and has designed Brazilian nanoart internationally. Also this year, he was the only representative of Latin America at the international exhibition France-China Arte-Expo, curated by Jean Jacques Humbert, from France.
For Professor Elson Longo, director of the CDMF and brother of the artist, this confluence of science and art is highly positive. He highlights the work Covid, which features silica microparticles with silver, an innovation used in products to protect against the virus. “This nanoart by Enio depicts fabric made of organic material with silver particles in silica . In life, protection against the virus represents love, union, longing, affection, health, meeting friends and relatives. The protection of these nanoparticles reflects the beauty and joy of a better world. Protection is security, tranquility and health. In this development, the silica-Ag composite eliminates 99.98% of the coronavirus (CDMF-FAPESP), explains Elson Longo.
For the artist, this partnership is enriching. “Making this partnership in the field of science with the CDMF, under the guidance of professor Elson Longo, brought to my artistic baggage a differentiated knowledge to the world of digital arts. This world is changing the arts scene in general, due to isolation. Gratitude forever,” said Enio Longo.
To visit the international exhibition ‘3D Museum of NanoArt’ click HERE.
CDMF
CDMF is one of the Research, Innovation and Dissemination Centers (Cepids) supported by the São Paulo State Research Support Foundation (Fapesp), and also receives investment from the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), linked to the National Institute of Science and Technology of Materials in Nanotechnology (INCTMN).
