Art, Science, and the Era of the Invisible.

Let's talk about Art, insights, and innovation. It's no secret that ArtArt inspires Science and vice-versa. It's a fundamental duality that allows us to tell our story, survive as a species, with more life quality, health, and even glamour, for Beauty's sake. 

While scientists struggle with finding new ways to improve the world around us, with continuous innovation, artists strive to describe life, challenges, and our deepest emotions, as restless souls in a world in change. 

When my dear friend Claudia Liz, a talented Brazilian painter, called to tell me about her latest project, of putting masks in her actual paintings for a cause, I thought to myself: "Oh, she will change all the fantastic portraits she made, forever". 

I was somehow disappointed, as she would modify her original Art. 

Later, she told me it would be a project to help endangered domestic violence victims during the Pandemic, through an auction of those paintings. I had an immediate insight: Art is also a body in change, simply because it's man-made. So, she modified her original work, keeping it alive and portraying our challenges these times. She improved, she adapted, she responded to the Zeitgeist. 

This Pandemic will leave its imprints on all of us, the entire society. In a couple of years, or decades, we, and our kids, and our kids' kids will need the facts to remember our struggle, our fear, our accomplishments. 

All of that will be not only the legacy of the scientists on vaccines and medicines to save us; nevertheless, the heritage of incredibly sensitive artists that are capturing our Zeitgeist, supporting side causes that the scientists cannot help, in an incredible collaboration. Rebuilding life, society, and an entire world in rupture, with Culture clashes, sudden losses of our loved ones, and even a complete production system, collapsed by the lack of resources will require more than Art and Science, but the hands-on dedication from all of us, non-science, non-Art people, just humans. We will need to out our sleeves up to redefine an Era of the Essential, as I am pretentiously allowing myself to restate the years to come. 

An Era where invisible things finally gain visibility: while a virus shows how vulnerable we are towards invisible biological enemies, society has been dealing with the violence towards "invisible" ethnicities, and an "invisible" practice of domestic violence grows everywhere. 

Love, patience, and time had finally come to light as the only weapons to survive horrible moments. Intelligence, communication, and imagination are the ultimate resources for our safety and the possibility of survival. It has always been, but not many were aware of that. Now, we all are well aware of that. 

“The feeling of awed wonder that science can give us is one of the highest experiences of which the human psyche is capable.” – Richard Dawkins

To perceive the change from the Era of the Visible to the Era of the Invisible (and Essential), we need to keep our minds open, and sane. 

It was Science that could put that in evidence to us, through our vulnerability to a virus, although all the invisible feelings, emotions, threats, vice and virtues were always there, and named by men. Nonetheless, Art will help us to communicate and educate a new civilization, so they (we) can learn what really matters.

Life matters, Black life matters, Health matters, Love matters, Kindness matters. The ability to socialize and live the world matters. Enough of what does not matter.  

Back to Claudia's project, that inspired me to write this piece, I must say I feel honored to have my portrait, an oil on canvas, painted by her two years ago for an exhibit in Brazil that she named Friendship, also protected with a mask. That made me feel special again. For the first time, because she asked me to pose for her in such a fantastic Exhibit title and purpose. And now, because she is protecting me and so many other friends and her creations of all of us, from a deadly threat. 

Kudos to Claudia Liz and her Art. 

For those who want to support the cause, have your portrait done by an amazing contemporary artist, or simply find more about her work, please visit claudializ. com.br .

Or email her to support the cause and order a portrait of the Pandemic series ([email protected]). My portrait, like many others, are for sale, helping the domestic violence cause. 

I feel privileged to be selected and invited by her. Moreover, I feel grateful to have such a kind and elevated soul as a close friend.

Paula Limena, Marketing, Insights, and Innovation executive dedicate her career to Strategic Storytelling and GTM for the Consumer Health and Nutrition Industry. She is the author of The Millennial Mind.