Needless Cleanup

Exhibiting artists: Masaru Iwai (JP), Jan Nálevka (CZ), Pipilotti Rist (CHE), Janek Rous (CZ), Lucia Sceranková (CZ)

Curator: Karina Kottová

Cleaning and destruction can be seen as two basic principles within the duality of Apollonian and Dionysian, yin and yang. The key interest of this show is the transmission from one to another: from order to chaos, from serenity to uncontrolled passion. In Herman Hesse's writings, these principles are often personalized, depicted as opposite forces, such as the rational Narcis and the emotional Goldmund, two monks in a medieval monastery, both in their own way longing to find the essence of life. While one decides to explore the realm of ratio within the safe fences of his sanctuary, the latter follows his urge to give in to his passions and live on the edge of life and death, beauty and horror. However, as the author explores further in his Steppenwolf, these characteristics rather meet in a single human mind, together with a number of other "souls" or principles that cannot be simply categorized. We are both rational beings and wild beasts, and while we often need to clean up the mess we made, we also long (or can't help) to create it at the first place. 

Works to be featured in this exhibition are looking for certain "in-betweenness", for order that is reversed by a simple act, which disturbs the original cleanliness and opens a window into "the other world" of illogic behavior, obscurity, deviation or even madness.

Exhibitions Texts: Press Release
Photos: Opening, Exhibition Documentation
Videos: Artyčok.tv
Reviews: Artalk.cz

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