Poetic Illuminations - Iluminacoes poeticas: Imperial Palace - Praça XV de Novembro, 48 Centro - Rio de Janeiro
We live in an age of Googleization, constantly inundated by images and information of diverse character and origins that invade our perception without hierarchy, blurring the possibility of a comprehensive understanding. This is the starting point of this exhibition: Is it possible to approach a culture through contemporary art? How do the visual arts contribute to reconfiguring the narratives we construct about society, memory, the past, and the present?
Through a curated selection of artists and works, this exhibition aims to explore these themes, guided by the idea that the essence of art, in conceptual terms, is poetic illumination—its ability to symbolically shed light on the world we inhabit, revealing not only elements of our past but also our dreams, longings, and fantasies.
The tour is designed to engage with images that simultaneously reveal each artist’s unique perspective and the expression of a shared cultural matrix. It also highlights how each artist’s identity contributes to the formation of a distinct visual culture within the fabric of contemporary processes.History, memory, and cultural tradition weave through the works presented here. Through diverse aesthetic strategies and material approaches, these pieces not only illuminate ideas and thoughts but also position us at new thresholds of understanding.
Two main themes emerge from the exhibition’s repertoire. The first is the desert, representing space, infinity, and life. The second is the singularity of cultural tradition and the evolution of a unique visual culture, shaped by diverse pasts and presents.
Both questions intersect with themes like memory, environmental awareness, origins, and identity. Within this intricate web of concerns, the history of Saudi Arabia is woven in artistic terms, enriched by the questions of the present. Beyond exploring these two thematic cores, it is crucial to highlight the intersections that emerge between them. Capturing these dialogues will be key to the exhibition’s appeal and significance.
The desert as horizon and vital space. The desert is often associated with the absence of life. However, these are unique spaces, shaped by an infinite horizon and an ancient geological memory, where different moments in the planet’s evolution can be traced.
These landscapes also reveal various life forms and cultures that have developed in and with them.
The artists featured here consider the desert as part of their existential background. Its materiality, atmosphere, and metaphysical climate are reflected in diverse ways through the contemporary perspectives these works present.
Time is also a key element, as the works highlight the changes the desert has undergone due to both natural forces and human intervention.
- Diana Wechsler
The desert as horizon and vital space. The desert is often associated with the absence of life. However, these are unique spaces, shaped by an infinite horizon and an ancient geological memory, where different moments in the planet’s evolution can be traced. These landscapes also reveal various life forms and cultures that have developed in and with them.
The artists featured here consider the desert as part of their existential background. Its materiality, atmosphere, and metaphysical climate are reflected in diverse ways through the contemporary perspectives these works present. Time is also a key element, as the works highlight the changes the desert has undergone due to both natural forces and human intervention.
Over the centuries, Saudi cultural tradition has been enriched and shaped by the diversity of its regions and the unique challenges each has faced. Despite this regional variation, there are common elements that remain central to the work of the contemporary artists featured in this exhibition. Each artist revisits aspects of these diverse pasts, bringing them into the present through a blend of memory and renewed perspectives. Together, their works contribute to the evolution of a distinctive, contemporary visual culture.
A development in the present continuous perhaps best defines the ongoing process in the arts in Saudi Arabia. This evolution becomes visible in different sections of the Poetic Illuminations exhibition.
In this final part of the tour, the recurring themes related to the desert—both as a space for cultural imagination and its role in shaping memory—continue to serve as a leitmotif. Added to these are contemporary views on the environment, the roles of men and women in society, and other relevant issues.
Furthermore, the influence of the cultural industry—particularly cinema—appears in a ghostly manner, reflecting how it has shaped societal habits and tastes in various periods, and evoking a not-so-distant past. Through these different cultural flows, the exhibition presents a multifaceted image of Saudi Arabia today.