There’s more to the problem. An exhibition dedicated to the relationship between texts and images at META Spațiu in Timișoara

In the exhibition There’s more to the problem, opened at the contemporary art gallery META Spațiu in Timisoara, the curator Francesco Giaveri questions “critically and aesthetically how written texts are incorporated in art, especially in painting, challenging the conventional boundaries between the two forms of expression. The exhibition addresses essential questions: Is text on a canvas a painting or just text? How does our perception of the message change when it is represented in a visual artwork?

However, painting a text is a slow, almost ascetic process.

Painting is stronger than ever in the contemporary art world, but the juxtaposition of images and texts is everywhere in contemporary culture globally. From Instagram to memes, this relationship is a key aspect of understanding the communication that surrounds us these days and says a lot about the way we live.

A painter’s approach to presenting a text through a very complex and old language (painting) is felt as a great contradiction because, in the contemporary world, communication must be as fast and dynamic as possible. We often make spelling mistakes on social media because speed precedes accuracy. Painting, on the other hand, is slow and complex. It takes time to read and understand a text and even more time to interpret a text contained in a painting. However, a message written in a painting immediately grabs our attention, as does an advertisement on a bus or a meme on a smartphone. But unlike these, a painting invites us to stop, reflect and delve deeper into its meaning.

This is probably because a process of translation is involved.

It takes a long time to make a painting or to prepare any other work of art, and most importantly, a long time to enjoy it. Even taking advantage of what we see or experience in an exhibition takes time.
The exhibition There’s more to the problem is dedicated to the relationship between texts and images and the way in which the invited artists present and represent the texts. Texts are presented from different perspectives to explore contemplation, narrative, slowness and shared perceptions, reaching the limits of language itself, which we experience when reading texts as works of art.

What can contemporary artists tell us about the relationship between the text and its perception? Understanding this can lead to a better understanding of the communication surrounding us and possibly help us live better – not faster, just better.” (Fragment from the curatorial text)

Artists and artists: Stefano Calligaro, Anna Dot, Petra Feriancová, Norbert Filep, Camille Llobet, Cristina Garrido, Sorin Neamțu and Ian Waelder.

The exhibition can be visited until October 27, 2024.

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