Opening. Beginning. Dawn.

This exhibition will take place in December 15, 2023 - January 15, 2024. Artists from around the world were called to submit their works. There were 44 accepted works and they came from 14 countries: Armenia, Australia, Czech Republic, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Iran, Greece, Poland, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Sweden, USA, Vietnam. A variety of styles and mediums were entered, including but not limited to acrylic, photography, digital art, oils, pastels.
Thank you to all the artists who participated! Your talents and skills gave us a diverse body of work to create this elevated exhibition and were seen.

SEEN Among All.

“Kullaberg” by Tom Zelger

‚Kullaberg‘ is part of the series ‚Emerging from Obscurity‘, which is an experimental approach to find possible sustainable ways to involve one’s natural surroundings into private and professional spheres.

The photograph is a portrait of the forested area called ‚Kullaberg’ on the Swedish west coast. Through the use of respective biochemical substances - such as liquids from plants and water from creeks - during the developing process of the analog film the individual ‚fingerprint‘ of the forest becomes visible: colors start to merge correspondingly and the content of the image partially occurs. Simultaneously the structure of the film surface changes or got destroyed what leads to a unique visible pattern in the digitalized picture.

This interaction of visible, erased and individually created content forces the viewer to challenge their perspective on how we treat our environment while leaving behind the human-made reality and finding oneself in an imaginary and unknown world again. By using that procedure I am symbolically establishing an artistic collaboration between nature and myself based on intersectional political values. Involving nature itself in the process of creating art shows its potential and its unique character which is worth taking care of.

image (printed on Hahnemühle Hemp/Cotton) and glass mounted with gold plated hook nails to wall, lavender wall color

About the artist.

Tom is a visual artist currently living and working in Lund/Sweden, who combines the visual language of documentary photography with experimental film development methods. This leads to extraordinary aesthetics and a special way of conveying the content by leaving imprints created by the materials involved. Due to Tom's personal interest, concepts and content of the works are predominantly related to social and environmental matters. Its messages therefore aim for individual reflection and a more sustainable and fairer future.

Also, the artist is visualizing conceptual ideas by including theories from the field of sustainability, gender, class and decolonialism in the creative process.

Tom Zelger

Sweden

Tom Zelger art is:
FUTURE-ORIENTED

we have to find new ways in producing and showing art

It is every artists responsibility to be aware of the potential positive/negative impact of one’s work

RESPONSIBLE

CHANGING

with his work he hope to push a change in a positive direction

“In my early 20s, I fell in love with photography. At that time, I used it mostly for documentary reasons and to tell stories with/about people. That’s why I then started studying ‚Documentary Photography‘ in Hanover, Germany. During my MFA studies in Gothenburg, Sweden, my artistic practice changed. Although I am still working in a documentary way, I wanted to include political and philosophical theories into my work to generate another layer of content. ‚Emerging from Obscurity‘, for example, is based on decolonial theories questioning the power dynamics of humanity and the current consumption-oriented and political development in Europe and some other countries.

Especially since the topics I work with are related to values, which I find important to create a more sustainable and fairer future for every life on earth, I wish that as many people as possible reflect their own after looking at my work. Also, widening the awareness and appreciation for every life form and nature is the goal. We know very well that we have self-inflictedly reached a point where humanity can no longer afford to act so ignorantly, and we, therefore, have to consider what options are left to save our remaining livelihoods and environment. By showing the individual character and ‚fingerprints‘ of the forests, I want to make people understand that.”

SEEN FIRST

#1BIRTH by Nasty Karma

“I’m creating my own mermaid universe - My Karmaland.
I create illustrations with mermaids, and also create photos where I complete my reality. To be creative means to bare your soul every time you show your art to the world.
Sometimes I feel lonely, but just being alone with my thoughts gives birth to ideas that I share with the world through my drawings and photos.
The ocean is only 4% explored-don’t tell me mermaids don’t exist!”

— by Nasty Karma, Indonesia

drone photography in Bali. To be a creator is to be constantly alone with your thoughts. This is the only way your art is born.