Nanoarte: entre a expressão artística e o conhecimento científico

Abstract

Art has been present throughout the evolutionary process of humanity since the cave paintings produced in prehistoric times. As society developed, new technologies emerged, directly affecting artistic typologies in each historical period. Since technological innovation enables art to reach new levels of expression as a means of reflecting human subjectivity and complexity, it becomes clear that artistic manifestations, in addition to reflecting various social aspects such as values, culture, memory, and identity, are powerful vehicles for social, political, and economic critique, as well as for reflecting advances in scientific knowledge and, consequently, the technological transformations that give rise to new artistic languages. Likewise, with the advent of material production at the nanoscale, the situation was no different. Thus, a new form of digital art that brings together science, art, and technology emerges: nanoart. The present research seeks to understand how the discourses of nanoartworks contribute to the dissemination of scientific knowledge about nanoscience and nanotechnology. This study was designed as basic research in nature. Regarding procedures, the research is considered bibliographic and documentary, as well as exploratory and descriptive, according to the established objectives. The proposed approach is qualitative, and data analysis was conducted using Bardin’s (1977) content analysis. The research locus selected was the international competition entitled NanoArtography. A total of 136 nanoartworks published in the competition between 2016 and 2024 were identified. However, this study was delimited to the analysis of the works classified in first place and those awarded by public choice (people’s choice). Thus, the sample corpus consists of 18 nanoartworks, and this selection is justified in order to assess discursive production over the years among works chosen by both specialized and non-specialized audiences. The results made it possible to identify that a significant portion of the authors still privilege specialized terminology and explanatory descriptions, reinforcing the logic of scientific communication aimed primarily at dialogue among peers. Consequently, we conclude that nanoart currently constitutes an expressive device with great potential for dissemination among specialists, contributing mainly to the renewal of forms of knowledge circulation within the scientific community itself. Nevertheless, its reach as a tool for science communication to broader audiences still depends on strengthening the verbal narratives that accompany the artworks.