For its grand opening in Geneva, La Galerie 38 is showcasing the works of four African artists under the title Anima Mundi. But why such a title, laden with multiple cultural references?
First and foremost, because the Soul of the World, understood in its cosmic sense, refers to the Principle that animates and vivifies the very nature of all things. Then, because the Soul of the World represents the ultimate horizon within which the world reveals itself as it truly is. And finally, because Art is that vulnerable space where man, lowering his defenses, welcomes the words of the Soul of the World. Words that, at once wondrous and terrifying, shake our restless, preoccupied souls, urging them to heed the ultimate Meaning of the world. In other words, art renders visible what had remained concealed from human sight.
In the works presented here, the goal is not to “represent” a world already known, a world with which man engages in relationships governed by utility and functionality. No! These works signal toward that which does not immediately reveal itself. They compel our gaze to “overflow” the familiar and embark on a quest for the unknown—for that dimension of the Soul which embraces all existence in its totality. If these works, each through its own artistic modality, wrench us from our habitual ways of seeing, it is to grant us a glimpse of that which, beyond mere “appearance,” bears Meaning.
Put simply: either the work of art is a manifestation of Truth, or it is nothing.
This is the challenge that the Soul of the World presents to all artistic creation. Of course, this challenge places the artist at risk, for he must journey into the depths of the Soul without ever knowing its limits—so profound is the soul, as Heraclitus reminds us. Yet the spectator’s task is no less daunting. Will he dare to ignite his inner lamp so that, in turn, he may illuminate the colors of the Soul of the World?
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