The Third Paradise is realised as a balanced connection between artifice and nature. This group exhibition is presented in collaboration with Department of Industrial Psychology and People Management, Johannesburg Business School.
The symbol designed by the eminent Italian artist Michelangelo Pistoletto, a reconfiguration of the mathematical infinity symbol, is widely used as a performative instrument for responsible change. The symbol challenges civil society (including artists) to unite towards the rebirth of a so-called Third Paradise (represented by the inner circle), a fusion of the first and second paradise (represented by the outer circles). The first circle represents the natural one in which human beings were integrated with nature. The third circle represents the artificial version which, in spite of its benefits, is depleting the natural world. A fusion of the two opposites provides the possibility of a distinct new entity. The symbol is therefore an invitation to collectively and actively give rise to a new junction in human civilization.
– Pistoletto, M. (2018). The art of demopraxy. Biella, Italy: Fondazione Pistoletto/Cittadellarte