On the Limits of Human Cognition. Light and Shadow

22 March – 9 June

From the Big Bang, to the wealth of myths and beliefs about the world emerging from darkness, to scientific theories about us coming from the stars – in light and darkness, mankind has always sought answers to questions about existence, its origins and its end.

At the beginning of the 20^th century, the rich symbolism of light underwent a significant transformation. Since the dawn of humanity, light has been a symbol of safety, a guarantee of survival and a source of spiritual experience. This connection was equally true in our daily experience of sunlight, candlelight or fire. Since the advent of electric light, it has lost its metaphysical dimension in the wake of successive scientific discoveries and technological progress. Today, light is no longer just a symbol of goodness, progress and faith. It is also a sign of excess, the unbridled expansion of humankind and a deepening crisis (caused by light pollution).

The exhibition at Krupa Art Foundation outlines a range of works and artistic attitudes in which light and shadow make up a contemporary story about art, science and the reinterpretation of cultural symbols.

The starting point and source of inspiration is the oeuvre of Jan Chwałczyk – a visual artist, art theorist and important personality on the Wrocław art scene, who situated the eponymous light and shadow at the centre of his interests. He spent years studying physical phenomena connected with light, such as the absorption and emission of photons or the formation of colours or shadow. He presented his observations and conclusions as artistic objects and in numerous theoretical texts.

Jan Chwałczyk’s work was based primarily on scientific knowledge. The presentation at Krupa Art Foundation, however, takes a different perspective: it shows artistic works that consider what lies at the edge of human cognition.

The featured contemporary artists examine the subject of light and shadow on many different levels, exploring it in fields such as spirituality, philosophy, psychology, ecology or mythology. Using a variety of media, they focus not only on a scientific approach, but primarily on sensation, emotion and feeling; they often delve into worlds close to intuition, sensuality, the subconscious and even metaphysics.

On the Limits… is therefore not only an overview of artistic phenomena that can arise from the observation of the movement of photons. It is also a story about the beautiful madness of the marriage of art and science, as well as about the attempt to grasp the surrounding reality with reason, which is doomed to failure from the onset; about the great unknowns, unpredictability and desire to create a universal language, which (whether by means of physical equations or colour and form) can help to express admiration for the world and describe its mysteries.