FRESH 2009

Last year the fifth anniversary called for a diversion, and we presented the best works by the previous four years’ participants. We now return to the original concept, with this addition: we present a selection from the diploma pieces of not only this year’s freshly graduated painters, sculptors, graphic and media artists, but also of those who finished in 2008.

We did not decide on a theme in advance, but as we processed the crop we found more and more works related to the subject of “the look,” meaning not only perception, but an inner point of reference as well, which orients the creative processes. The eye in the poster, an emblem of the exhibition, refers to both reception and creation. The notion covers, or reveals, a lot of things: the eye of the curator, the works and artists he gets to see; the eye of the artist, which betrays her orientation, interests and intentions; the sight of the work itself, its perspectives, directions of meaning and points of contact; and last but not least, the eye of the viewer, which selects or refuses, lingers on, or passes over, works. And as regards fresh graduates, the eye is particularly important, whether we mean the first stages of development, visions that just now prove to be intuitive or inherited, or the public eye, the attention of lay and professional audiences, which our young artists begin to court. The diverse perspectives and visions create a very exciting interactive field, which is based on the ceaseless dynamic of connections and departures. It is communication, always in search of the other.

An exhibition is an opportunity to abandon routines, to retrain our eyes, our vision of the world, thanks to the encounter and clash of others’ visions. If there is an exhortation attached to this display, it is not “Do not touch the exhibits!” Instead, we would like you to step closer, open your eyes, and challenge the works.

Participating artists: