Engadin Art Talks 2023

HOFFNUNG? HOFFNUNG! explores the diverse connotations of ‘hope’ from the sacred to the profane. The idea of die Hoffnung der Hoffnung stresses the strong dichotomy that characterises the term, one that evokes a plurality of declinations that at times may contrast with one another and yet build new meanings from that very collision. The use of the German language greatly emphasises the polarities that emerge from the overarching theme.

As a theme that runs throughout the history of art – from the classical periods to the modern, and up to the most contemporary practices – HOFFNUNG? HOFFNUNG! encourages a deeper understanding of hope as an intrinsically human state of mind. Hope, especially nowadays, may evoke recent histories rhymed by the climate change crisis or the political instability amongst others, events that are the driving forces behind the chosen topic. We aspire to position ‘hope’ in relation to the Enlightenment and the Sublime, the power of visualisation as a tool that keeps us going, along with other interpretations. Ultimately, hope functions as a wishful projection toward the future.