In Pollen Watch we explore pollen and climate change from different perspectives!
In a series of events we aim to open a dialogue on these topics and the power of citizen science to tackle current and future issues.
Join us for a visit to the exhibition of Wolfgang Laib at the Kunsthaus Zürich and a reflective discussion afterwards.
In his minimalist art, Wolfgang Laib works with natural materials such as pollen, bees wax or milk. Wolfgang Laib shifted his life as a doctor/research scientist to become an artist, what motivated that transition? How do those different professions understand what “healing” can mean in the world? Guided by Lydia Matthews, you will receive info & prompts for individual reflection. The visit will be followed by a group dialog.
Details
When? May 20th 2026, 14.30 – 17.30h
Where? Kunsthaus Zürich, Heimpl. 1/5, 8001 Zürich
Who? Anyone wanting to explore the connection of art, nature and science
Costs: Both the exhibition and workshop are free of charge.
Registration is open to anyone, but priority will be given to people participating in more than one event and in the measurements of the Pollen Watch project. An overview of all events can be found on our project website.
About Lydia Matthews
Lydia Matthews is a writer, curator, educator, and cultural activist based between Athens and Brooklyn. Her work brings together art, craft, design, and everyday life, often in collaboration with local communities around the world.
Matthews is Professor Emerita at Parsons School of Design and previously taught at California College of the Arts, where she helped shape innovative programs focused on socially engaged art and critical thinking.
Over the years, she has worked on projects across the U.S., Europe, and Central Asia, creating exhibitions, workshops, and public art initiatives that connect people, places, and ideas. Whether collaborating with artists, artisans, or students, her approach is hands-on, curious, and deeply rooted in dialogue.
Her practice is all about exploring how creative work can spark conversations, build relationships, and open up new ways of thinking and collaborating together.
About Wolfgang Laib
Wolfgang Laib is a German artist known for his quiet, deeply meditative works made from natural materials like pollen, milk, rice, and beeswax. Before becoming an artist, he trained and worked as a medical doctor—a background that continues to shape his way of thinking about care, material, and the human condition.
Living and working between a small village in southern Germany, New York, and South India, his practice draws from both Western and Eastern philosophical traditions. Since the 1970s, Laib has been developing a body of work that moves away from fast-paced, idea-driven art and instead focuses on repetition, simplicity, and time.
Rather than aiming for constant innovation, Laib’s work returns again and again to the same forms and materials, exploring cycles in nature and the connection between the human and the universal. His installations often feel timeless, inviting slow looking, reflection, and a different sense of presence.
Pollen Watch is coordinated by PSI Paul Scherrer Institut and funded by Schweizerischer Nationalfonds SNF Agora.
Project lead: Lubna Dada in collaboration with DISSCO Dissemination-Science-Communication — Evgenia Tsianou and Carmen Kummer.
Official project website: https://www.psi.ch/en/lac/projects/snsf-agora-pollen-watch
Internal project website: https://dissco.ch/track-pollen/
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