The exhibition project “Beyond Eden” was born with a view to presenting a set of works acquired for the museum’s collection in December 2018. Originally, they made up the Silesian Collection of Contemporary Art which, in a way, defined the existence of the Foundation for Silesia, established in Katowice in 2001. The long-term activity of the Foundation allowed to gather the works of both mature, well-known and valued artists, as well as young talented authors who are just starting their artistic careers. The exhibition allows you to see the richness and level of one of the largest collections of contemporary art in Silesia, which can be classified as representative reviews on a national scale. Due to the limited space of permanent exhibitions, most of the works are shown for the first time.

In critical art, which sets the tone for the presentation of more than a hundred works, neither beautiful hills, nor inspired birds, nor the reassuring sun remain. On the contrary, it is the dark, confused, unbridled face of the reality of the “here and now”, most often completely alien to the biblical Eden. If the “garden of heavenly delights” really lasts, even as far away, it is, from the perspective of a citizen of the earthly globe, a paradise lost or unreachable. Living outside of Eden means mortality, experiencing knowledge and ignorance, good and evil, momentary euphoria, pain and suffering, and longing for an optimum, justice, harmony.

Curators: Joanna Szeligowska-Farquhar, Ph. D. Michał Burdziński

January 2022 – January 2023

Muzeum Śląskie w Katowicach
ul. Dobrowolskiego 1