The European Union, its Member States, and cultural companions current the third version of SCI_ART as a cross-country competition, uniting artists, scientists, and teachers to discover world challenges by means of creativity and innovation.
The European Union by means of its Delegation to Canada, SAW Gallery, the University of British Columbia, the Embassy of Slovenia and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation of the Republic of Slovenia , in partnership with Artengine, the Austrian Cultural Forum, the Austrian Embassy, Culture Ireland, the Embassy of Denmark, the Embassy of France, the Embassy of Ireland, the Embassy of Italy, the Embassy of Mexico, the Embassy of Poland, the Embassy of Portugal and the Italian Cultural Institute of Montreal, are proud to announce the 2025 version of the SCI_ART Symposium, a landmark celebration on the crossroads of artwork, science, and know-how.
“The European Union has long championed collaboration across borders and disciplines. It is part of our DNA, with 27 Member States working together. This spirit also guides our international cooperation. SCI_ART is a remarkable example of how art, science, and technology can intersect to inspire new ideas, strengthen cultural ties, and foster innovation in addressing today’s global challenges,” says Geneviève Tuts, Ambassador of the European Union to Canada. “The European Union is proud to support the third edition of this symposium and, for the first time, a multi-city event, showcasing how Canadian and European artists and researchers can join forces to reimagine our shared and sustainable future.”
From October 3 to 12, 2025, SCI_ART will journey throughout Canada with programming in Ottawa, Kelowna, and Montréal, bringing collectively European, Canadian, and worldwide artists, scientists, and teachers.
The 2025 competition evolves from a symposium right into a multi-city competition, providing a broader program of exhibitions, artist talks, performances, and panel discussions. Themes will embrace sustainability and innovation, interspecies communication, frontier applied sciences, and artistic approaches to local weather challenges.
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Ottawa (Oct 3–5): Panel discussions, particular exhibitions, screenings, and workshops will happen on the Ottawa Art Gallery and SAW, that includes worldwide pioneers from Ars Electronica, Artengine, and Sporobole. Register here.
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Kelowna (Oct 7–8): Hosted at UBC Okanagan’s Critical Future Studio/Lab, the symposium will convey collectively worldwide artists to interact with college students, researchers, and the general public on bio-art, AI, and local weather innovation. Register here.
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Montréal (Oct 2): The Italian Cultural Institute in Montreal will host a roundtable that includes Brian Chen (Associate Professor, McGill University, Departments of Neurology & Neurosurgery and Medicine) alongside 5 artists from the European Union. Together, they may discover creative collaborations with scientists and analysis addressing the Anthropocene, local weather change, know-how, and hypothesis.
For the third consecutive yr, SCI_ART continues to develop, providing a singular platform the place main artists, scientists, and technologists come collectively to indicate how artistic follow and scientific analysis can unite to deal with urgent challenges reminiscent of local weather change, well being, and social transformation. In 2024, SCI_ART welcomed over 1,000 contributors from 14 international locations. The 2025 competition goals to develop this impression by fostering new collaborations, inspiring dialogue, and strengthening EU–Canada ties in analysis, innovation, and tradition.
The SCI_ART Festival reaffirms the EU’s dedication to cultural diplomacy, strengthening EU–Canada ties in analysis, innovation, and the humanities. Together with European Union Member States, SAW, UBC, and cultural companions, SCI_ART 2025 will foster new collaborations, encourage dialogue, and discover how artwork and science can form our shared future.
For press inquiries or to schedule an interview with the artists, please contact:
European Union Public Diplomacy and Policy Outreach Project in Canada [email protected]
For press inquiries concerning the symposium in Ottawa, please contact Jason St-Laurent, SAW Gallery at [email protected]
For press inquiries concerning the symposium in Kelowna, please contact David Bidwell UBC Okanagan Media Relations at [email protected]