Cosmos. Lem. Jewellery
15 March – 7 April 2024
Never in the history of homo sapiens so far has any generation been the witness and originator of such rapid changes in its civilizational and, unfortunately, also natural, environment.
The project is an attempt to revive the interest of contemporary artists in shaping the latest future, which was a central point of 20th-century modernism, inextricably linked to the notion of the avant-garde.
Cosmos. In contemporary European languages the word κόσμος (cosmos) is commonly used to denote the universe. However, in Ancient Greece it was the antonym of chaos and meant, first and foremost, order, then beauty for which order was an inseparable attribute, and consequently a decoration, a jewel, an ornament.
Lem. Stanisław Lem (1921-2006) – Polish writer, futurologist, philosopher and artist who attempted to define humankind’s place in the world, to encapsulate the history of Earthly civilisation in the possible multitude of space civilisations created by evolution through trial and error. So far, nothing has confirmed such hypotheses. Lem’s books (the world famous Solaris among them) have been translated into over 40 languages. Among other awards, he received the ‘Gloria Artis’ medal and the Order of the White Eagle, Poland’s highest order of merit. An asteroid and Poland’s first scientific satellite were named after him.
Jewellery. It has accompanied human cultures from the very beginning. It serves as an amulet, ornament, status symbol, declaration of beliefs, investment and, from the mid-20th century, also as an integral field of art. At a time of globalisation, when often travelling people become not unlike contemporary “high-tech nomads,” jewellery can meet an important need for an intimate contact with a work of art and image building. It seems that it can also easily travel with astronauts into space, becoming an especially important personal object of Ars Proxima (Nearest Art) for them.
The exhibition brings together 98 artists from Poland, Germany, Austria, UK, Australia, Finland, Netherlands, Sweden, Japan, Spain, Italy, Lithuania, Latvia, Norway, Argentina and the United Kingdom to explore the connections between the cosmos and jewellery. At a time when earthly existence seems more fragile than ever, artists are turning their gaze to the cosmos, to literature and to the inner self.
Man has gone out to explore other worlds and other civilizations without having explored his own labyrinth of dark passages and secret chambers, and without finding what lies behind doorways. (Stanisław Lem, “Solaris”)
Organiser: Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Art and Design Wroclaw
Kurators: Giedymin Jablonski, Agata Danielak-Kujda
Partner: Lithuanian National Museum of Art
3A Arsenalo st, Vilnius, Lithuania
+370 5 212 1813;
+370 5 261 25 48; +370 5 262 80 80.
tddm@lndm.lt
