It all started with a dream. I arrived at a library. The spines of the books were without title and author’s name, there was a librarian present. The lady smiled mysteriously. I touched one of the books and pulled it out, but had only a cover in my hand. Then I tried to examine other books, everywhere there were only empty covers. I asked the librarian what it was all about, and she said, “All knowledge is gathered in this library. You just have to see it.”
The visualization of this dream content wants to expose the viewer to a perceptual illusion. The latter enters the gallery and sees the bookshelf in a corner. He thinks, ok, that’s just a bookshelf, and engages with the sculptures and paintings in the gallery. At some point he moves closer and notices that these books are paper and have no authors/titles. This raises a question. What is knowledge, where is the content?
The work points to the change in the acquisition of knowledge. While 20 years ago the student mainly used libraries and did not have access to Google and the Internet, nowadays the acquisition of knowledge has become very easy. Students copy and Google. Of course, this raises the question of whether the content acquired in this way actually represents real knowledge. The installation formulates questions and does not make a statement. It invites the viewer to reflect on his or her relationship to books, to the library, to knowledge.
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Handmade Paper, Acrylic Cabinet, 400cmx240cm
exhibited at Ayyam Gallery Dubai 2023