Art and science combined: An exhibition on the visibility of female researchers

Art and science combined: An exhibition on the visibility of female researchers

In the period from October 13th to November 9th, 2025, the exhibition “Making Female Scientists Visible: A Science-Inspired Art Exhibition” will be presented in the foyer of Philosophikum I, House A, at the Justus Liebig University of Giessen (JLU). The exhibition, initiated by Palina Kot, a biochemist and artist, aims to raise awareness of women in the field of science and open new perspectives on their role. Kot, who earned her doctorate at JLU and originally comes from Belarus, would like to use this opening to make a contribution to the visibility of female scientists.

The event not only addresses historical figures such as Rosalind Franklin, Mileva Marić and Rita Levi-Montalcini, but also addresses current challenges that women in science have to overcome. The exhibition's main themes are curiosity, resilience, innovation and the obstacles that make it difficult for female scientists to pursue a career. The opening of the exhibition will take place on October 13, 2025 at 5 p.m. in lecture hall A3, House A, with a panel discussion. In addition to Palina Kot, Anne Gerlieb from the FH Potsdam and Ahngeli Shivam from the University of Mainz/Georgia State University will also take part in the discussion.

Contextualization and accompanying events

This exhibition is part of a larger commitment to bring the issue of women's visibility in science into focus. This is also supported by the event “Missed Images – Making Women Visible in Science” at the FernUniversität in Hagen. This exhibition will take place from February 11th to March 12th, 2025 in the FernUni Café. AI-generated, photorealistic images of female scientists who have often not received the recognition they deserve for their contributions to research are exhibited there.

An example is Rosalind Franklin, who discovered the double helix structure of DNA but was never awarded a Nobel Prize. In the Hagen exhibition she is presented with a picture and a Nobel Prize medal to recognize her importance. The event, developed by photographer and science communicator Gesine Born, also allows visitors to receive information about the researchers featured through QR codes, which will be read out by an AI-generated voice by Lise Meitner.

Structural inequalities in science

The themes of the exhibitions are in line with the results of a current study by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) on the media visibility of women in science. This study shows that only 18% of experts quoted in the media are women, although the proportion of women in the research fields examined is around 31%. No evidence of direct discrimination in the journalistic selection processes was found, but media visibility often maintains a hierarchical structure. Women are significantly less likely to occupy top positions and achieve lower publication and reputation scores.

These structural inequalities are reflected not only in science, but also in reporting. The analysis of 4,860 articles in leading German media about science-related risk topics from 1995 to 2020 shows a strong imbalance. The exhibitions in Gießen and Hagen are a relevant step towards making these inequalities visible and raising public awareness.