POWER OBJECTS Disillusionment with their own myths, interest in magical power or simply fascination with the unknown are just some of the many reasons why Western cultures have traditionally looked to the East. By exploring – often idealising, and sometimes even abusing – these encounters with the “exotic” other, the Occident actually ends up delineating a quite precise cartography of its own mentality: hopefully the process entails finding new meanings for old forms or rediscovering old meanings in new forms. Looking for Orient[ation] and inspiration and borrowing an ancient symbol and ritual deeply rooted in Southeast Asia, the exhibition initiated by Ruudt Peters is entitled LINGAM. 122 Contemporary Fertility Symbols. Dealing with sexuality, spirituality and fertility as key subjects the exhibition includes one hundred twenty-two contemporary Western background artists and designers who have created works using the language of jewellery. The aim of the project is to reflect on some problematic aspects of today’s society including the manner in which explicit language seems to be the only possible communication form; where the desire to show everything is not weighed against the need to know or understand something; and maximal exposure of naked reality is forced upon the viewer – be it the naked reality of bodies, political ideologies or economic figures. The end effect is that we have all been transformed into voyeurs of a pornographic show to which we have neither been expressly invited nor wanted to attend. The cult of Lingam or Linga (meaning “phallus” in the Hindu Tantra tradition and also “sign, evidence” in the Sanskrit language) is used not only as a guiding thread throughout the exhibition, but also as a critical perspective to observe some of the problematic aspects of expressing sexuality today. Another choice could have been Priapus, a minor fertility god known for his permanently erect phallus and as protector of livestock, fruit trees and gardens in antique Rome. As well, another option could have been Omphalos (navel in Greek). This ancient religious stone at the temple of Delphi, also somewhat phallic in appearance, was worshiped as the centre of the world. But Lingam, the non-Occidental tradition sets up necessary distance, protectively “veils” the subject and avoiding the comfort of “local” ground provides the leeway in which the theme can be redefined. As a symbol lingam is widely interpreted as the embodiment of Shiva’s phallus. The Hindu god of destruction and regeneration Shiva gives and takes away life restoring what has been dissolved in a never-ending cycle of death and fertility. Made mostly out of stone lingam
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sculptures or objects serve as spiritual landmarks and have an abstract rather than naturalistic shape: they can look like an egg with symmetric ends symbolising continuity; they can also look cylindrical, in this case usually having a rounded top. The sculptural lingams of Khmer Art (Cambodia, 11th century) are a good example of that sacred, monolithic presence that induces concentration of the mind. Lingams not only occupy a place in the temple, but can also appear beside busy roads, usually under banyan trees, and at street side shrines: Not great monuments, but precarious, personal and almost provisory shrines that are fully integrated into daily life. Even jewellery can act as a portable shrine whereby a miniature lingam is set into a Yoni (meaning the feminine principle or also the female genitals) base crowned or sheltered by a cobra. When a yoni is represented together with a lingam they symbolise the union of opposites and one of the strongest catalysts of cosmic energy. The intimate relationship between religiosity and sexuality is generally considered as obscene by the Occident. For the western audience Lingam and Yoni evoke erotism and mystery, connect sexuality to meaning and ritual. In his essay Conjunctions and Disjunctions, Octavio Paz compares the erotic alchemy of Tantric sexuality to the mechanised version as conveyed in Protestantism. In the tantric understanding the union of male and female fuses and dissolves the opposing forces of lingam and yoni and is a path to enlightenment. Tantrism understands ejaculation as the dissolution of opposites resulting in a supreme kind of emptiness. Here semen is a sacred substance. In contrast, Protestant efficiency separates the body from the mind, treats marriage as distinct from intercourse and sees ejaculation as a productive and moral act if – and only if – it is aimed at reproduction; in short, sexual encounter is a social matter. Paz finds an apt
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Frédéric Braham 1967 mf France Displayed lipstick, 22 kt gold (28gr), plexiglass 360 x 248 x 140
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David Huycke 1967 mf Belgium Imitanulation #2 polyurethane, paint, steel, glass 105 x 105 x 295
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Teja van Hoften 1951 mf Netherlands To Be Alive aluminium 580 x 380 x 240
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Constanze Schreiber 1977 mf Germany
Gijs Bakker 1942 mf Netherlands
Boleslav
Johnny Awakes
fur, lead, gold 80 x 65 x 35
silver 925, colour photo, plexiglass ø 365 x 25
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Helfried KodrĂŠ 1940 mf Austria Untitled brass 750 x 550 x 2300
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David Bielander 1968 mf Germany Corn Cob split fastener (steel, anodised brass), silver corn cob 170 x 55 chain 670
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Tanel Veenre 1977 mf Estonia
Norman Weber 1964 mf Germany
Crowning Glory
Behind Glass Expensive
ebony, antique glass, silver, gold 120 x 80 x 20
blackened silver, plastic, acryl, silicone, steel wire 167 x 153 x 33
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Agnes Larsson 1980 mf Sweden Untitled wood, reindeer skin, hair ø 80 x 300
Petra Zimmermann 1975 mf Austria LINGAM I various bling jewellery, polymethylmethacrylat, gold-leaf, blackened silver ø 55 x 170
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Sophie Hanagarth 1968 mf Switzerland … To Forge a 30 Centimetres Steelbar Trying To Model a “Paris Mushroom”. steel ø 300 – 650 x 260
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Terhi Tolvanen 1968 mf Netherlands Fleurs De Bien wood, paint, silver 190 x 40 x 40
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