Argus & Medusa: On Hope in Dark Times

The exhibition Argus & Medusa tells an implausibly true story – or, rather, a fragment of it, a glimpse, an echo. It is the story of a two-hundred-year-old painting that is still considered one of the most impressive artworks in history. Ever since it was created, the monumental canvas titled The Raft of the Medusa (1818–1819), which now hangs in the Louvre in Paris, has never ceased to fascinate artists, writers, and other creative minds across time, cultures, and continents. This exhibition shows how the work has sparked the imagination of contemporary visual artists, thus reflecting the reality of today’s world.

When the young French artist Théodore Géricault shaved his head and shut himself away in his Paris studio in July 1818, he was obsessed with the idea of depicting a recent tragedy that had shaken French society and dominated the front pages of the newspapers: Following the shipwreck of the frigate Medusa off the coast of West Africa, 147 members of its crew found themselves on a makeshift raft without sufficient supplies. They were eventually abandoned by the ship’s lifeboats as well as its captain, leaving them at the mercy of the open sea. Over the next thirteen days, the castaways on the raft became both victims and perpetrators of unspeakable horrors – violence, murder, and even cannibalism. In the end, a mere fifteen of them were rescued.

Géricault worked feverishly for many long months and created numerous sketches of this event. He ultimately decided to depict the moment when the survivors on the raft are desperately waving to the rescue ship Argus, which is still just a tiny speck on the horizon. Argus and Medusa – a moment between hope and despair.

The Raft of the Medusa captivated the artists whose works are featured in this exhibition (as well as many others) with its monumentality, groundbreaking composition, and execution – but above all with its epic portrayal of humanity struck by a sudden catastrophe. These artists regard Géricault’s work as a metaphor for the contemporary world and its calamities, from wars, pandemics, and migration crises to climate change, the breakdown of the social order, and personal traumas. Yet they also emphasise hope, resilience, and the human species’ ability to survive, thanks above all to empathy, compassion, and solidarity. WE ARE ALL ON THE RAFT OF THE MEDUSA AND THIS IS OUR STORY. How will we weather crises and catastrophes when hope shrinks to a tiny speck dot on the horizon? British playwright Tom Stoppard summed up the message of The Raft of the Medusa unequivocally: “If we don’t cooperate, we’re screwed.“

Author and main curator: Michaela Šilpochová
Collaborating curators: Leoš Válka, Otto M. Urban

Exhibiting artists: Bill Viola, Nikita Kadan, David LaChapelle, Kader Attia, Elfie Semotan, Jakub Špaňhel, Miquel Barceló, Hu Jieming, John Beard, Wolfe von Lenkiewicz, Conrad Botes, Martin Gerboc, Sylvie Choisnel, Banksy, Tom de Freston, Jason deCaires Taylor, Adad Hannah, Joel-Peter Witkin, Karol Radziszewski, Paul McCarthy, Monika & Bohuš Kubinský & Pierre-Désiré Guillemet & Étienne Antoine Eugène Ronjat

Featuring also a special presentation of “The Shipwreck“ by Julian Barnes.

The works in this exhibition are kindly on loan from: Amiens, Musée de Picardie, Catherina and Michael Roets, Collection Baudoin Lebon, Paris, Collection Conrad Botes, Collection of the Dalloul Art Foundation, Beirut, Lebanon, David LaChapelle Studio, Galerie Poggi, Paris, Hu Jieming and ShanghART Gallery, Justyna Dabrowska-Bień, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebaek, Denmark, Paul McCarthy and Hauser & Wirth, Paul & Paula Smith, Studio Semotan, Youxiantang Collection, Zeina Itaoui, and the artists and private collectors