Hortus conclusus. L'illusione di un paradiso

Is it possible to analyse our contemporary societies, in particular those of the West, in the light of the religious themes and ancient myths that founded them? This is the question posed by the exhibition «Hortus conclusus. The illusion of a paradise» starting from the Christian allegory of the enclosed garden – image of the Paradise and the virginity of Mary – and the Greek myth of the Rape of Europa, which relates the heroic journey of a kidnapped young girl, founder of European civilization. While Western art has assimilated and propagated these two iconographies since the Middle Ages, their study still offers a key to contemplate the works of contemporary artists who explore the relationship between man and his territory, between identity and culture. Like the United States, Europe seems today to defend the idea of a hortus conclusus , a new Eden inaccessible and surrounded by walls, both physical and mental. The therapeutic metaphor of the garden, traditionally perceived as a place of contemplative and spiritual retreat, has given way to the vision of a country that embodies the hope of a better life on the «other side» of the wall.

Works by contemporary artists are introduced with a section of prints of the 15th, 16th and 17th century by Albrecht Dürer, Heinrich Aldegrever, Martin Schongauer, Hendrick Goltzius and Remoldus Eynhoudts.

Artists:

Tonatiuh Ambrosetti, Jean-Marie Appriou, Mirko Baselgia, Jean Bedez, Hicham Berrada, Laura Henno, Alain Huck, Eva Jospin, Mathias Kiss, Emma Lucy Linford, François Malingrëy, Omar Mismar, Adrien Missika, Sandrine Pelletier, Pierre et Gilles, Annaïk Lou Pitteloud, Recycle Group, Mustafa Sabbagh, Conrad Willems.