EMPATHY: BEYOND THE HORIZON

A conceptual journey into human consciousness and self-understanding. 15 contemporary artists among others from Australia, Mexico, Swizerland, UK and USA. Exhibition curators Imants Tillers and Marketta Seppälä. The exhibition is produced in collaboration with FRAME, The Finnish Fund for Art Exchange.

Publication:

ISBN 951-9355-81-2
EMPATHY: Beyond the Horizon
Pori Art Museum 2001
Editor: Marketta Seppälä
Layout: Patrik Söderlund
Photographers: Erkki Valli-Jaakola, Porin taidemuseo, Veli Granö, George Steinmann, subREAL, Paul Green
Translation by Jyri Kokkonen (essays by Otso Kantokorvi and Ulla Vihanta).
Copy editor: Jennifer Slatyer
Grafia, Turku 2003

MEDIA RELEASE (Translated with ChatGPT)

EMPATHY – Beyond the Horizon
Pori Art Museum, June 16 – September 16, 2001

Empathy is a conceptual exploration of human understanding. It seeks to transcend and move beyond the dualisms that dominate our thinking, reaching even to the limits of our comprehension and the boundaries of the world as we know it.

Time, space, and other abstract or concrete dimensions intertwine with questions about the infinity of existence—and simultaneously, its limitations. The subconscious and the unknown connect with the visible and the experiential. Particular attention is given to questioning thought structures that support the opposition between nature and culture, highlighting, in turn, the vulnerability of human culture. What power lies in the ability to foster togetherness, community, and care? What is the “shared understanding” inherited from past cultures in our present time? And what is the significance of the sacred and the sublime?

The exhibition offers new perspectives on the communal possibilities of art, showcasing extensive projects that are not necessarily expected to “be completed” or even initiated within the artist’s or viewer’s lifetime. Yet, even as concepts or sources of inspiration, these projects can spark ideas and propel things forward. Many of the artists featured in the exhibition combine approaches from both art and science.

The exhibition includes works by the following artists:
Maria Thereza Alves (Brazil/Berlin), Robert Barry (USA), Lene Berg (Sweden/Norway), Vija Celmins (USA), Shane Cotton (New Zealand), James Darling (Australia), Veli Granö (Finland), Fabrice Gygi (Switzerland), Timo Heino (Finland), Susan Hiller (UK), Jarno Jokinen & Katja Valanne (Finland), Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle (USA), Hannu Puttonen (Finland), Hugo Simberg (Finland), Nedko Solakov (Bulgaria), George Steinmann (Switzerland), subREAL (Netherlands/Romania), and Imants Tillers (Australia).

The exhibition has been curated by Marketta Seppälä, Director of FRAME Finnish Fund for Art Exchange, and Imants Tillers, artist and curator from Australia. The art projects created for the Pori Art Museum will be documented in a publication to be released in autumn 2001.

For more information:
Hannele Kolsio / Pori Art Museum, email: hannele.kolsio@pori.fi
Marketta Seppälä / FRAME, email: marketta.seppala@frame-fund.fi

The exhibition is organized in collaboration with FRAME Finnish Fund for Art Exchange and supported by IASPIS, NIFCA (Nordic Institute for Contemporary Art), and Pro Helvetia.