EGOSOPHY 4 - 21 October 2018
CON-TEMPORARY Art Observatorium
Corso Buenos Aires 42 11
Lavagna, Italy
Download the invitation card Parul Bouvart
Cyborg Art Collective
Gabriel Embeha
Valentina Lari
Nikolaos Mantziaris
Tim Rudolph
Stefano Sansoni (Orma)
Andrew Shaw
Introductory text
EGOSOPHY
“Art is a microscope which the artist fixes on the secrets of his soul, and shows to people these secrets which are common to all.” Leo Tolstoy
Preface
The artists through their artworks speak about their own lifestyle, about their own behaviour and philosophy. Here, ego is not meant as egotism or self-referentialism, but as the acceptation of the Latin word for “I exist”, thus existence as expression of self, in the sharing of one’s own experience with others.
And yet, in our society a kind of pre-Renaissance way of thinking is worryingly resurfacing, sometimes pursued or subordinately applied in the art field at a curatorial or institutional level, where art is being considered as a consumerist good, relegating the artist to the role of mere maker of design objects or decoration. The technical skill in manufacturing objects that are only beautiful, finely refined or made of precious materials, is being considered the sole requisite for the artist, with no interest on his personality, mind and message, taking the distance from the humanistic revolution of the conceptual primacy initiated with artists like Michelangelo and Leonardo.
The return of a medieval mentality tells it all about the post-cultural swaying risen with the globalisation that is dragging the society into an inhuman pragmatism, in the lack of open-mindedness, ideals or ethics that lie outside the sole productivity.
The exhibition wants to stress once again that the purpose of art is to communicate, represent the uniqueness of the soul and the individual, for the sake to relate one each other intellectually, promoting a society fervid of ideas, rich, diversified and evolved spiritually.
Ego ergo cogito
I do exist, thus I think.
We live in a society where, rightfully, the individual and its wellness have much importance; everyone feels to be at the centre of the universe, as it just makes sense to the Being, with its own vision, its own intimate experiences, its feeling and way of living the world, in the sensory dimension. But that must not abuse the other, cross the borders of reciprocal respect: self-control means respecting the other, the other’s vision of the world. After all, who knows what truth is, what knowledge (Sophia) is; yet, not searching for it means to be closed inside an autogenic absolutism, characterised by the poor knowledge of the cosmos, to be absorbed by a short-sighted improvidence giving momentary satisfaction, but that on the long term leads to more and more accidents, to a slow but implacable degeneration of the events, which at last become out of control to the unprepared one, the unaware one.
Full texts and critical analises continue on the catalogue: see below. Exhibited artworks and photo gallery
Exhibition video souvenir
Exhibition video souvenir
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Catalogue
Click here to ask for the catalogue on paper.
Catalogue of EGOSOPHY - Ego Ergo Cogito, Italian | English, 56 pages A4 (21 × 29.7 cm)
Directions
The CON-TEMPORARY Art Observatorium exhibition room is located in the centre of Lavagna, in the midst of Riviera Ligure di Levante, northern Italy. The location is well serviced, a few steps from bus and railway stations, the touristic jetty, free 2h parking and near the highway exit. Access for impaired people and lift.
By foot, by train or bus: exiting the train station of Lavagna by the city side, go to the left going along the main street until the Poste Italiane post office, here turn right toward Via Cristoforo Colombo street, as soon as you arrive at the roundabout of Piazza Cordeviola square turn left in Corso Buenos Aires boulevard. The building n. 42 is at the start of the boulevard.
Bus stop "
Lavagna - P.za Cordeviola/Edicola" linee
4,
5,
31,
32,
34,
46 and
98.
By boat: on the maritime line fares Portofino / Lavagna / Cinque Terre disembark at the touristic harbour of Lavagna. Exiting the harbour, turn left in Via dei Devoto street and go beyond the railway by the underpass that takes you to the Poste Italiane post office, then follow the directions above.
By car: toll road A12 E80 Genova-Livorno, exit at Lavagna, go toward the town centre. At the roundabout of Piazza Cordeviola turn right in Corso Buenos Aires and stop at the start of the boulevard, number 42 .
By airplane: the nearest airport is the Cristoforo Colombo of Genoa, the shuttle bus VOLABUS will take you to the train station of Genova Brignole, from there you can reach Lavagna in 40-60 minutes.