A FUGA (by António Faria)
Labyrinths were used in classical 17th-century gardens as ornamental elements, serving simultaneously as immersive enigmas on a grand scale that invited exploration and reflection.
António Faria was challenged to create an exhibition at ISPA centred around the concept of the labyrinth, which resonates with the institution on multiple levels—from the Escher-like architecture of its physical space to the metaphorical representation of the intricate paths of the human mind, ISPA’s primary object of study. The labyrinth also relates to the process of artistic creation, which has moved beyond the merely visual and into the realm of enigma, in the contemporary pursuit of meaning.
António Faria’s response to this challenge is A FUGA!
António Faria’s Labyrinth is vertical, suspended from the ceiling of the ISPA gallery. We see ourselves reflected in the large skull that gazes out from the wall dominating the installation. The flanking mountain landscapes evoke the philosophical journeys of René Daumal up Mount Analogue, symbolic of each of our own unfinished climbs... Once at the centre of the installation, we turn 180 degrees and glimpse through the hanging labyrinth a video projection of a shimmering water landscape. Salvation is within reach. Just as Master Wang-Fô, in Marguerite Yourcenar’s oriental tales, escapes the death sentence imposed by the Emperor by entering a canoe he paints into a seascape, thus fleeing reality through his own creation, António Faria also shows us the path of art as Salvation!
António Faria’s Escape reveals how art can liberate us from our own labyrinths, guide us in our quests, and demonstrate that questioning is often a greater mastery than finding answers. Paradoxically, the solution to the labyrinth António Faria proposes shows us how aesthetics remain central in the search for meaning.
- RUI OLIVEIRA
The exhibition will be on display from 7 November 2024 til 31 January 2025.
Address: ISPA, R. Jardim do Tabaco 34, 1149-041 Lisboa
