ARTISTS
The Camel Never Forgets
The ancient people used to say: 鈥渢he camel never forgets an injury鈥�. But the camel鈥檚 memory is not unique in this respect 鈥� even unconsciously inflicted evil leaves a lasting trace in the psyche of the person or community that experiences it. Today, philosophers consider suffering a wrong in the categories of a profound violation of dignity, a sting that cannot be easily removed, and which may not only become stuck in the psyche of an individual, but can also be passed from generation to generation as a trauma. Inextricable from harm is also the pursuit of retribution 鈥� punishment meted out by the judiciary or else coping with the burden individually through reconciliation or revenge. Yet, many wrongs remain unsettled, not only due to the powerlessness of the victims, but also because ultimate reckoning is impossible, communities fail to recognise their wrongdoing or else a specific perpetrator cannot be determined if a certain collectivity is concerned.
The exhibition The Camel Never Forgets is devoted to wrongs sanctioned by their acceptance in the social system. The best example of this mechanism is patriarchy, which has existed for so long and is so omnipresent that we did not notice (and often still fail to notice) its ethical aspects and impact on people鈥檚 attitudes to each other and non-human entities. Relations of power, greed and the belief that some are superior to others not only influence the fate of societies and communities, but also, above all, leave their mark on the private stories of individual persons and beings. The exhibition shows harm and violence through metaphors and intimate stories of living, dying out, harmed feelings or simply of ordinary situations beneath which violence and exploitation lurk.
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The ancient people used to say: 鈥渢he camel never forgets an injury鈥�. But the camel鈥檚 memory is not unique in this respect 鈥� even unconsciously inflicted evil leaves a lasting trace in the psyche of the person or community that experiences it. Today, philosophers consider suffering a wrong in the categories of a profound violation of dignity, a sting that cannot be easily removed, and which may not only become stuck in the psyche of an individual, but can also be passed from generation to generation as a trauma. Inextricable from harm is also the pursuit of retribution 鈥� punishment meted out by the judiciary or else coping with the burden individually through reconciliation or revenge. Yet, many wrongs remain unsettled, not only due to the powerlessness of the victims, but also because ultimate reckoning is impossible, communities fail to recognise their wrongdoing or else a specific perpetrator cannot be determined if a certain collectivity is concerned.
The exhibition The Camel Never Forgets is devoted to wrongs sanctioned by their acceptance in the social system. The best example of this mechanism is patriarchy, which has existed for so long and is so omnipresent that we did not notice (and often still fail to notice) its ethical aspects and impact on people鈥檚 attitudes to each other and non-human entities. Relations of power, greed and the belief that some are superior to others not only influence the fate of societies and communities, but also, above all, leave their mark on the private stories of individual persons and beings. The exhibition shows harm and violence through metaphors and intimate stories of living, dying out, harmed feelings or simply of ordinary situations beneath which violence and exploitation lurk.
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