Under the title "Awakening" the Gallery Melbye-Konan exhibits the new works of Hamburg-based artist Belén and Nigerian artist Vivian Timothy , who lives in Germany, in a duo exhibition from 03 March 2022 to 30 April 2022.
Awakening not only describes the process of rousing from sleep, but can also refer to other forms of regaining consciousness and the spiritual awakening that accompanies it. Already in ancient times, awareness of one's own person and past was seen as the key to self-awareness and as an aid to future decisions. Therefore, it was no coincidence that the inscription "Know thyself" was once placed above the entrance to the temple of Delphi. The appeal indicated the actual intention of the oracle, namely the resolution of the question and the individual problems of the person seeking the answer through the confrontation with one's own inner personality. Awakening thereby describes the moment of realisation that the awareness and reflection of the "inner world" serves as an access to problem solving in the "outer world".
In Belén's works, the focus is primarily on the inner world. The abstract and partly figurative works illustrate profound emotions and ways of thinking that shape the individual, which would normally be hidden from the physical eye. The works become an individual mirror of the soul that supports the viewer on the path to self-awareness.
"In order to reach self-awareness you need to look behind the façade of your own mind, emotions and modes of thoughts. The play of front and back in my paintings is a stylistic device to show that it is worth taking a look behind one's own façade." (Belén, 2022)
Vivian Timothy takes up the theme of Awakening in the form of spiritual awakening and the departure into a new future. In this context, a person's origins represent the central roots, which on the one hand connect the individual with the past, and on the other hand lay the foundation for the future.
"Without knowing our past, we cannot become the architects of our own future." ( - Vivian Timothy)
