The iconic elongated, melting clocks in Salvador Dali's painting The Persistence of Memoryaccurately capture the meaning of time as it relates to our unconscious. While we might think of time as being constantly in flux, human beings are unable to hold on to time. Even so, there are works by some artists – Dali being one of them – who have tried to capture the feeling of intangible time. Through their works, these artists make us feel that we are seeing beyond the visible world.
How about “Hope?” Is It possible to hold on to it? One work that most directly expresses ‘hope’ in art history is titled Hope(1886) by George Frederick Watts. The first impression of this painting is deep sorrow presented by a pathetic woman with a bandage over her eye against a background of mysterious green colors. She holds on to the ruined lyre, barely supporting her body on the half-submerged earth. In all her difficulties, the only remaining line of the lyre would give her beautiful music as a symbol of hope. This work gives a deeply touching and profound inspiration of hope to people in hardship and adversity. They are not only renowned people like former President Barack Obama but also commoners who live their own humble lives. Aristotle has said, “Hope is the dream of a man who is not asleep. As long as there are human dreams, the world is worth challenging.” Martin Luther King Jr. has said, “Everything that is done in this world is done by hope.” And from Anna Frank, we read the words, “I don’t think of all the misery but of the beauty that still remains.”
What does an artist give us? The artwork mostly carries a message of hope. Thus, small matters can transform themselves into spiritual and emotional resilience and, in the process, become a sacrament that conveys the 'persistence of hope.'
Artego Gallery, which opened in January 2022, has held 3 solo and 4 group exhibitions, each of which conveyed a thematic message. It is with great enthusiasm that we will continue our thematic exhibitions by welcoming the new year of 2023. The featured twenty artists in the show are the artists who had solo or group shows in 2022 and the other group of artists will present their work at Artego Gallery in 2023. These featured artworks present various ideas, formats, and materials in the show, Persistence of Hope. (Curator: Soojung Hyun)
