Expoziţia Mischa Kuball, Oglinda lui Platon / Platon’s Mirror

Curator: Andreas F. Beitin
7.03 – 25.03.2012

Vernisaj/ Opening: miercuri / Wednesday 7.03, 19h00

Conferinta/ Conference: Prof. Mischa Kuball, Public space / public lab / politics of light Introdus de/ Introduced by Ruxandra Balaci
joi/ Thursday 8.03, 18h00

“Alegoria Pesterii din Cartea a 7-a din Republica lui Platon reprezinta unul dintre cele mai influente texte ale literaturii europene. In aceasta alegorie, Platon creioneaza o distinctie clara intre doua forme ale realitatii: realitatea lumii vizibile si realitatea (adevarata) a ideilor. Aceasta diferentiere intre o realitate ‘falsa’ a aparitiei si o realitate ‘autentica’, accesibila numai celor iluminati a avut un impact puternic nu doar asupra crestinismului, dar si asupra intregii filosofii a Renasterii. Fara alegoria lui Platon, nici catedralele gotice caracterizate prin simbolistica luminii si nici pictura, sculptura si arhitectura caracteristice Renasterii mature nu ar fi fost posibile.

Desi Nietzsche respinge virulent platonicismul – inteles ca o forma inversunata de negare a lumii vizibile si tangibile - , dezbaterile cu privire la ideile lui Platon au ramas o tema majora in filosofia secolului XX (ex: Karl Popper, Alain Badiou) precum si o sursa de inspiratie pentru filme de succes (ex: trilogia Matrix).

Ca artist, Mischa Kuball se implica ca nimeni altul in analizarea fenomenului luminii, alegoria Platoniciana devenind la un moment dat, prin forta lucrurilor, o tema majora in opera sa. Cu ajutorul unor instalatii simple, insa extrem de eficiente, folosind proiectoare, folii de argint, fotografii si clipuri video, Kuball creaza spatii de perceptie si experiente celor intalnite in textul Pesterii Platoniciene. In acest sens el traduce relatiile complexe dintre sursa de lumina, reflectie, siluete si reprezentare in stagii de transformare aparent interminabile ale realitatii, constituite ca realitatea propriei sale reflectii si vice versa.

Angajamentul lui Mischa Kuball fata de alegoria Pesterii are loc intr-o era in care conceptul realitatii abia mai este luat in considerare din punct de vedere filosofic, sociologic sau politic. Fascinatia actuala a performativitatii a tot ce este real pare sa neutralizeze problematica a ceea ce ar putea fi de fapt considerat real. Kuball pune sub semnul intrebarii daca problema realitatii poate fi atat de usor eliminata prin declararea acesteia ca fiind constituite numai din punct de vedere social. El analizeaza daca ratio si intelectul sunt inca operative atunci cand vine vorba de a intelege distinctia intre realitate si aparitie. In acest sens, opera lui Kuball nu poate fi privita doar ca o incercare de a-l reactualiza pe Platon, ci mai ales ca o incercare de a se intreba din nou asupra clasicii conexiuni intre metafora luminii si ideea Iluminarii.”
Leonhard Emmerling

Expozitia Mischa Kuball Platon’s Mirror Institutul Goethe si MNAC Bucuresti.

Mischa Kuball (n.1959), traieşte si lucreaza in Düsseldorf. Din octombrie 2007, este seful catedrei de arta media, holografie si light art la Kunsthochschule für Medien Koln. Cele mai recente expozitii includ: 'Platon's mirror ', ZKM Karlsruhe, Artspace Sydney (2011), public alphabet, Muzeul si Galeria DKM, Duisburg (2010), 'Private Light for the Raday Utca', Goethe Institut Budapesta (2008), 'Metaphases', Neue Galerie am Landesmuseum Joanneum, Graz (2007), ‘Space - speed - speech', Galeria de Arta Moderna, Glasgow (2005), 'Flash Planet' 2005, IMA Institutul de Arta Moderna, Brisbane (2005), 'Public Eye', Kunstmuseum Bonn, Bonn (2002).

“Plato’s allegory of the cave in the 7th book of The Republic is one of the most influential texts of European literature. In the allegory of the cave Plato draws a distinction between two forms of reality: the reality of the visible world and the (true) reality of ideas. This distinction between a false reality of apparition and a true reality, accessible only to the enlightened, not only had a huge influence on the philosophy of Christianity, but also on the entire philosophy of the Renaissance. Without Plato’s allegory, neither the Gothic cathedrals with their light-symbolism nor the painting, sculpture nor would architecture of the High Renaissance have been possible.

Despite Nietzsche’s wrathful rejection of Platonism as an infuriating denial of the visible and tangible world, the discussion of Plato’s ideas remained a major task for the philosophy of the 20th Century (e.g. Karl Popper, Alain Badiou) – and a very successful basis for films (e.g. the Matrix trilogy).

As an artist Mischa Kuball engages with the phenomenon of light like no­body else and so at a certain point Plato’s allegory had to become a major theme in his work. In very simple and highly effective installations utilising projectors, silver foil, photographs and videos, Kuball creates spaces that can be considered analogous to the situation in Plato’s text about the cave. In photographs and vi­deos Kuball translates the complex relationships between light source, reflection, silhouettes and representation into seemingly endless transformations of reality into the reality of its reflection and vice versa.

Kuball’s engagement with the allegory of the cave takes place in an era in which the problem of reality is barely considered in philosophical, sociological or political terms. The current fascination with the ‘performativity’ of everything real apparently makes redundant any question what within reality might actually be real. Kuball questions whether the problem of reality can so easily be discarded by declaring reality as only socially constructed. He asks whether ratio and the intellect are still useful when it comes to comprehending a distinction between reality and appariti­on. In this sense, Kuball’s work can not only be seen as an attempt at re-actualizing Plato, but moreover as an attempt to question anew the classic connection bet­ween the metaphor of light and the idea of Enlightenment.”
Leonhard Emmerling

Mischa Kuball Platon’s Mirror is organised by Goethe Institut and MNAC Bucharest.

Mischa Kuball (b. 1959) lives and works in Düsseldorf and has held the Chair of Media Art: Holography and light art at the Kunsthochschule für Medien, Cologne . The latest exhibitions include: 'Platon' mirror ', ZKM Karlsruhe, Artspace Sydney (2011), public aplphabet, DKM museum and gallery DKM , Duisburg (2010), 'Private Light for the Raday Utca', Goethe Institute Budapest (2008), Metaphases', Neue Galerie am Landesmuseum Joanneum, Graz (2007), ‘Space - speed - speech', Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow (2005), 'Flash Planet 2005', IMA Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane (2005), 'Public Eye', Kunstmuseum Bonn, Bonn (2002).