|
|
|
|
Lost and Found – Concept StatementLost and Found
Lost and Found is an exhibition concept formulated to challenge a group of international artists with a common theme and point of departure for a group exhibition. In proposing this exhibition the artists selected were to represent different countries and different cultures. The purpose of selecting a diverse group of artists is to discover something about how these individual artists may think about and interpret a common thematic concern of life and experience. How might their creative work express differences and similarities in the ways they understand and express their own realities of life through a common experience that everyone shares. The common threads or themes that are essential to life, that permeates human existence, are revealed through the reality and necessity of "opposites". The nature of life experience; of what we understand as reality, is based on "pairs of opposites" such as; good/evil, man/woman, this/that, life/death, with the list seeming endless. Out of that fundamental notion of "opposites", the theme Lost and Found presented itself as a conceptual challenge to this diverse group of professional artists. As these artists contemplate the meaning of such a problem through their own experience and ideas, the birth of new images and deeper understanding exists as a potential in each individual response to the theme. Some of the first impressions one may consider of Lost and Found might include the loss of a valuable object and the resulting feelings we experience. The loss of one half of a pair of objects such as a glove or a shoe seems to change the meaning of the one that is left behind without its’ match. We are left to wonder, " where did it go and what to do with only one" – the two no longer exist as "one", as a pair, and the reality has profoundly changed. There is no longer a "pair" but that useless single. When one finds a single glove or shoe we are forced to consider the absence of the other. Most public places have a location for the return of lost objects called the Lost and Found. It is often a mysterious place where odd and strange artifacts seem to collect and are rarely reclaimed. As the condition of Lost and Found is further considered there are many possible directions and interpretations that will come to mind. We might speak of our lost youth or a loss experienced through estrangement from a homeland or loved one. To simply "find" a thing, an artifact or something of value can be a tremendous influence on how we think and act. To find ourselves anew can have a significant impact on life. When you hear of someone speak about how they "Found" their way in life does that imply that they were lost, and if so from what or whom? How do we understand these conditional "opposites" of Lost and Found? As this exhibition brings together artists from diverse backgrounds, they are presented with a challenging opportunity to look closely at the concept Lost and Found and reveal their unique and personal understandings through their work. The ideas and images they express may expose some of the depth and complexity of one of life’s simple "pairs of opposites" that we all experience, through Lost and Found. Edward Powell Education
Teaching Experience
Professional Experience
Professor Edward Powell is the Art Advisor and Writer for Lost and Found. Edward Powell |
|
|
