To celebrate its third anniversary, Sage Culture is thrilled to present the EQUILIBRIUM PROJECT. This three-act exhibition program aims to address the relationship between humans and nature and some of the issues and challenges faced on a journey towards planetary stability.

Starting in November 2020, the first act, entitled "Landscapes of Gaia," is an introduction, depicting planet Earth in its purest form. Gaia, the Greek deity, represents the power of creation, and this chapter portrays the beauty of the Earth with no human intervention.

In the second act, the effects of humankind's presence have proven to be harmful, and they contribute to the planet's decay. In the age of the Anthropocene, destruction and an utterly unbalanced relationship with the planet reign. In the third and closing act, humankind is presented with two choices determined by its actions: the void or the continuity of life.

ACT I - THE LANDSCAPES OF GAIA

For the first act, Sage Culture is pleased to present an all-women group exhibition, featuring a selection of works by Daniela Busarello, Michal Fargo, Magdalena Karpinska, Brooke Holm, and Enna Ikuta.

From the chaos emerged Gaia—the source of life.

Since ancient times, humankind has attempted to understand its origins and existence. From Ancient Greek mythology and ritual to modern scientific exploration, people have used varied methods to seek a better understanding of the whole, adapt, and evolve. However, ancient societies had a harmonious and symbiotic relationship with the planet, showing respect and humbleness throughout their journey on Earth. This balance was crucial for survival. The myth of Gaia, for instance, portrays how the Greeks perceived Earth and its force. Being a primary deity born out of the Chaos, Gaia is the Earth's divine personification, representing the source of all things in existence. It is the maternal force that can create all things.

More recently, many scientists have been inspired by this myth to develop their own theories about life and its origins, the most notable being the GAIA hypothesis formulated by the British chemist James Lovelock. It proposes that living organisms interact with their inorganic surroundings on Earth to form a synergistic and self-regulating, complex system that helps maintain and perpetuate the conditions for life on the planet.

"Landscapes of Gaia" portrays the origins of life and the feminine force of creation and creativity. As a metaphor, the power of nature and art contribute to searching for a more balanced relationship with the Earth. Mentally, Gaia's ability to heal the world can be seen as equivalent to the process of Reverie in psychoanalysis. Gaia holds the mental capability to transform the current dystopia faced today, absorbing all the sense impressions—which are often noisy, chaotic, and overwhelming—and translating them into meaningful experiences. Described by the psychoanalyst Wilfred Bion while observing the mother's ability to digest and mentally convey the world to their child, Reverie's concept marks a psychic function defined by the possibility of transforming more primitive mental states into potentially representable thoughts. This ability can also be seen in therapists when an emotionally charged image comes to the mind to capture a patient's unmetabolized affect. In the end, just like with Gaia's hypothesis, Bion is describing the mental capacity to search for balance and a more self-regulated mental state.

With this scenery as background, the artists selected for this show hold the strength to absorb crucial points regarding our complex relationship with nature, presenting their artistic creations as dreams to promote reflections on the subject. Consequently, these creations take the viewer to a place of consciousness where they can experience balance and contemplate beauty.