University of Ljubljana, Academy of fine Arts and Design

Opening of the exhibition Paul Nurse: What is Life? at the IEDC–Bled School of Management
2025-08-27 | IEDC – Poslovna šola Bled, Prešernova cesta 33, Bled, 4260, Slovenia
The exhibition of master’s students of Illustration at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design (UL ALUO), which was originally presented in the UL Gallery at University of Ljubljana in May this year, will be on display at the IEDC – Bled School of Management from 27 August. The exhibition takes as its starting point the works of Nobel Prize winner Paul Nurse, who is coming to Slovenia in August at the invitation of the pharmaceutical company Lek d.d.
Exhibited student works in the field of realistic illustration are based on Paul Nurse‘s book What is Life? The project involved students from the second year of the postgraduate course in illustration. The main guiding principle for their work was how to present the complex ideas of science in an understandable way through different types of realistic illustration. In the creative process, under the mentorship of Asst. Prof. Mag. Marija Nabernik, dioramas, conceptual and scientific illustrations were created.
The exhibition is complemented by works in the field of fantasy illustration by students from the first year of the postgraduate course in illustration. The starting point for their creations was a personal story by Paul Nurse, entitled Discussing Family Trees in School Can Be Dangerous. If the basic building block of life in the book What is Life? is the cell, in this story the basic building block of human life is family. The story was interpreted by students under the supervision of Asst. Prof. Suzi Bricelj, each of them presented it through a series of illustrations with accompanying text in a form of author books. Through the projects, they address the issues of social norms, difference and stigmatisation of individuals in society, and show the possibilities of successful paths in the search for personal identity.

Pictured: One of the student works from the exhibition Paul Nurse: What is Life? Author: Matevž Bervar.
