Darkness is needed to see the stars

«The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters». (Genesis 1:2)

The first creation narrative in Judeo – Christianity begins with darkness, into which is introduced the creation of light, and the separation of this light from the darkness. Thus, although both light and darkness are included in the works of the almighty God—darkness was considered «the second to last plague» (Exodus 10:21), and the location of «weeping and gnashing of teeth» (Matthew 8:12). As a poetic term in the Western world, darkness is used to connote the presence of shadows, of evil, or in our modern world, to connote that a story is grim, heavy, and/or depressing.
However, a quote by Ursula K. Le Guin rightly states “When you light a candle, you also cast a shadow.” and as we chose to call this show:  A certain darkness is needed to see the stars.

In this new group exhibition, we see how various artists interpret black and darkness through their own eyes: as a colour, as a means to meditation, to illustrate how darkness can be present in the adorable, or how the monstrous can find an exit from its somber caves.

Black isn’t a primary, secondary, or tertiary colour. In fact, black isn’t on the artist’s colour wheel and usually isn’t considered a colour at all. In certain ways, black represents space, specifically outer space and infinite space. There’s also a mystery to things that can’t be defined, or seen, and the colour black often accentuates anything with those mysterious or indefinable qualities.

Artists: Jean-Paul BLAIS (CH), Beth CARTER (UK), Maarten CEULEMANS (BE), Alessandro FILIPINNI (IT), Xavier le Normand (FR), Yaël OHAYON (BE), Maria RUBINKE (DN), Michel TOMBROFF (BE).

Don’t miss this dark and surprising exhibition, on view until November 30, 2022.