Plan X is delighted to open the summer season at its Capri venue with "Lacrimae Rerum," the inaugural group exhibition showcasing works by Kyler Garrison, Julius Hofmann, Pascal Möhlmann, and Mateusz Sarzynski.
The exhibition title derives from a deeply stirring line in Virgil's epic, The Aeneid: "sunt lacrimae rerum et mentem mortalia tangunt." This Latin phrase, translating to "there are tears in things, and mortal matters touch the mind," captures the essence of the universal human experience—our collective encounter with sorrow and our capacity for empathy. Virgil's words convey a timeless acknowledgment of the inevitable suffering that permeates life, yet they also recognize the profound connections formed through this shared vulnerability. In Virgil's context, these words are spoken in a moment of reflection, amidst ruins that evoke both the past glories and the inevitable decay of human endeavors. This duality between loss and memory, pain and understanding, resonates through the ages, forming a thematic backbone for "Lacrimae Rerum." Here, the concept of "tears in things" transcends the literal interpretation to suggest a more metaphorical perspective on how material and mortal experiences—be they joy, pain, triumph, or despair—profoundly touch and transform us.
Kyler Garrison’s paintings are a modern reflection on Virgil's themes, investigating how our digital era reshapes memory and perception. His use of mixed media and airbrush techniques creates fragmented landscapes of memory, illustrating the distortion and alteration of personal and collective recollections. These works resonate with Virgil's reflections on mortality, emphasizing how modern technologies influence our understanding of reality and identity, and highlighting the emotional dissonances caused by the digital age. Julius Hofmann, influenced by his studies in both traditional painting and digital media, blends these realms to explore spatial and compositional dynamics in a digitized context. His art, reflecting on the liminal spaces between the virtual and the real, captures the essence of Virgil’s lament —mourning the transient yet commemorating the perpetual. Hofmann’s integration of digital aesthetics into painterly techniques speaks to the contemporary experiences of navigating through layered realities, mirroring the historical depth of Virgil's verse. Pascal Möhlmann brings a rebellious edge to classical techniques, marrying the old with the new in a bold expression of "New Beauty". His vivid canvases, filled with absurd and sublime imagery, challenge viewers to find continuity amidst disruption. Möhlmann’s dialogue with historical and modern life through art offers a rich interpretation of Virgil's sentiments on human suffering and beauty, drawing a line through time that connects the classical to the contemporary. Mateusz Sarzynski’s approach, utilizing a blend of graphic design, painting, and popular imagery, delves into the political and cultural dimensions of human experience. His work encourages a deeper examination of familiar visuals, inviting interpretations that reveal underlying complexities and contradictions. This method reflects the layered meanings in Virgil’s text, suggesting that beneath the surface of every image or experience lies a deeper, often unspoken emotional truth.
The exhibition embraces this duality, presenting it as a lens through which to view each artwork. The artists featured in "Lacrimae Rerum" engage with this theme in diverse but interlinked ways, offering a tapestry of responses that underscore the shared yet unique aspects of human emotional experiences. Through their various mediums and artistic expressions, they explore how these emotional experiences, like the tears Virgil speaks of, mark our memories and our histories, molding our perceptions of the world.This thematic exploration serves as a foundation for the exhibition, inviting viewers to ponder the
universality of emotional experience and the role of art in mirroring and understanding the depths of human sorrow and the peaks of empathy. As we engage with the works presented, we are reminded of the power of art not only to reflect reality but also to connect us across time and space through shared feelings and experiences. In this way, "Lacrimae Rerum" is not just an exhibition but a conversation across centuries, between Virgil and the contemporary world, between the viewer and the viewed, connected through the universal language of emotion.