Fundamental

5th Poznan Mediations Biennale, 2016

Poznan Biennale

02 October - 30 October 2016

Curator: Tomasz Wendland

 

5th Mediations Biennale in Pozna? entitled Fundamental refers us back to the questions about the essential values of human-kind, which are not necessarily the same for various different cultures. Under common concepts such as freedom, dignity, family ties, there are different value systems, cultural or religious references, which are deeply rooted in a centuries-old tradition. Language bears huge importance. Here it is understood as a system of concepts, in which thought, natural environment, or civilisation is formed.

Art is a platform for global communication and expression. It is a tool for investigating reality. Art stems from an individual need to create beauty. For that reason, Mediations Biennale 2016 shall feature artworks, which take a critical stand on the problems of contemporary world, and in doing so, they defend human dignity while protesting against ideology, violence, brutalisation, devastation and manipulation. There will also be works which search for universal beauty, dialogue, crossing the boundaries of knowledge, discovering common values. Some relevant issues shall emerge from a dialogue between contemporary art and places marked by history and reflection – for example between the Imperial Castle, Hitler’s room, or the Jesuit’s Monastery and the collection of artworks at National Museum and Pozna? Archdiocese’s Museum.

Our body is composed of 4000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 atoms. We are all fragments of the same reality. Art seems to be an underestimated medium, which is capable of delving into the non-verbal. This action is accompanied by intuition, which travels through image into inaccessible resources of knowledge, to what is fundamental.

Mediations Biennale is not only an art event, it is also an event focused on research and science. Image is not merely a means of artistic expression, but also a tool for scientific investigation which, thanks to sensual research, encourages deeper contact with reality, leads to the areas inaccessible for words, science and technology. What is more, image creates a completely different, non-verbal contact with the truth. It exposes its different aspects and creates surprising visual thesis. Art should be allowed to participate fully in the discourse on the condition of human-kind, surrounding us life and universe. The artworks create wide repository of knowledge, which is formulated in sensual languages. The knowledge of these languages opens up different areas of consciousness, richness of experiences, and interpersonal communication. Image inspires different sensitivity, perception and coexistence with reality.