Art and the abyss: Manipulations of time at the 2008 Yokohama Triennale
'Art shakes up our everyday perceptions. It gives us glimpses of the 'abyss' we normally fail to notice, or perhaps pretend not to notice. It can horrify us, give us courage, console us, or provide us with what we need to face life. Art's bounty is not secured by novelty. When ancient Greek texts speak to us in a clear, familiar tone, like works penned only yesterday by our cultural peers; when music from the distant past of an unfamiliar land seems as fresh to our ears as if it had only just been composed; when we marvel at the aesthetic feats achieved at old religious sites with little or no connection to our own cultural tradition – in such moments, again and again we are reminded that being 'new' is not what gives art its depth and impact.
