“Organising opposites” (Post 36)

We are all feeling the “mind-adjusting” effects of the current pandemic in one way or another. We are all sitting with a list of videos on our phones which made the rounds regarding who is specifically to blame for the pandemic and all the possible conspiracy theories too; the end of the world has come and gone many times during the last three months. I have given up trying to figure out who is wrong and who is right, because just when I think there is a clear indication that common sense is appearing somewhere – or something that resembles common sense – I am sure to find a new speaker or video expert the very next day who will refute the whole caboodle I adopted (the day before) to cling to for a while, just for the sake of a mental pause. I am finding myself organising opposites the whole time; I feel the urge to balance perspectives I do not understand in the least.

I have an acquaintance who is currently making me question my sanity. He is not trying to balance the opposites like me it seems (not that I think my attempt is worth much). He is very clear in his mind that we will all be “categorized” and “chipped” and that freedom will be a thing of the past for all of us, this side of heaven – very soon. He sends video link upon video link to tell me that I must warn everyone I see or know that the end has come. I told him that I am rather exhausted, because I do not know who to believe anymore. He told me that feeling exhausted is definitely a symptom of the scheme that was released upon us. (I actually meant he was making me tired but he did not fall for my mention of fatigue.) Somehow, he knows exactly who is right and he is on the right side, therefore there is no need for him to create a pause in his mental circuit: he found the source of this misery and the source of all his answers and he triumphantly pegged his stake into the soil of his convictions a long time ago. He is forcefully spreading the news: It is very clear who is to blame and we are now being groomed for the new world order.

I neither want to focus my attention on the end of the world nor the new world order, but I want to create a little arty pause here: let us imagine we could put all the opposite opinions on a canvas, using lines and colours to represent these difficult issues that no one understands. What could these art works look like? What could they tell us? (If only we could understand?) If only it had been that easy to deal with opposing ideologies… At least art gives us an outlet to say with line, shape, texture, form and colour what we may never dare say in words; our “language” of freedom. We can surely let it all out.

The paintings I included today form a diptych I made during my stay in Suzhou (China) when I went through a time of personal turmoil and self-doubt. The reason for including them is because I called this pair: “Organising opposites” in 2017.