For its grand opening in Geneva, La Galerie 38 is showcasing the works of four African artists – Abdoulaye Konaté, Barthélémy Toguo, Soly Cissé, Younes Khourassani – 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.