'blind spot' | artists pick artists '24

'blind spot' | artists pick artists '24

September 21 - November 8, 2024

“Every man takes the limits of his own field of vision for the limits of the world.”
-Arthur Schopenhauer

Blind Spot explores the areas in our lives we tend to miss or fail to recognize due to personal or environmental factors, and it connotes deep and layered meanings in the realm of thought. Often used in traffic terminology to describe areas outside one’s field of vision, this concept extends beyond the literal, encompassing psychological blind spots - places inaccessible to our perception.

In an era dominated by speed and screens that surpass the computing capabilities of the human brain, meanings, images, and memories are rapidly consumed and flattened. It becomes nearly impossible to pause, reflect, make connections, or think deeply in a world where speed takes utmost precedence. As our personal data is constantly commodified, screens and social media fracture our already diminished faculties of attention, making it harder for us to focus and increasing the quantity of our blind spots. The illusion of blind spots leads people to overlook and rationalize their own cognitive biases, complicating efforts towards objective evaluation and meaning-making.

The group show “Artists pick artists”, periodically hosted by .artSümer since 2010, allows the gallery’s artists to invite fellow artists whose work they admire in the contemporary art world. The eighteen artists participating in the show take their own practices as the basis of their participation while focusing on the concept of a blind spot. Through a diverse range of perspectives, the artists visualize blind spots in ways that highlight overlooked realities surrounding personal and societal blind spots, unconscious prejudices, and anthropocentricity. The multifaceted nature of the blind spot concept allows for both personal and societal interactions to be translated into artistic expression. The show goes beyond art’s aesthetic dimension by incorporating a psychosocial approach, and displaying a veiled political attitude. Blind Spot expands the viewer’s field of vision by presenting the varied perspectives of its participating artists, and forming a foundation of shared ideas through its organic pairings. Ultimately, Blind Spot invites the audience to confront the inherent limitations of our own perceptions and to find meaning in a rapidly changing world.