ANIMISM TO ABSTRACTION
THIS IS NOW
LIMA PERU 2023
Animism to Abstraction Now Gallery, Lima
The block universe theory suggests that ‘Now’ is not a fixed moment but an arbitrary slice of a continuum in which the past, present, and future coexist simultaneously.
If time is truly non-linear, with every moment existing at once, then the mushrooms that paved the way for life on land, the first rock struck into a tool, the first ritual and the last, the lone figure drifting in space are all reverberating together here and now.
Animism teaches that everything is alive; physics reminds us that everything is connected. Between them lies abstraction, a way of seeing that bridges the mystical and the rational, shaping forms that echo our origins while anticipating the future.
Sacred places, revisited over millennia, seem to hum with layered time as if every visit still lingers in the air. This sense of ancient futurism feels vital today, when science fiction rapidly becomes science fact. To build a sustainable future, we must look back, learning from the traditions and ancestors who shaped our understanding of continuity and transformation.
For millennia, we have been captivated by power objects from the sacred axe to the cross ,imbuing them with meaning and power far greater than their material form suggests. It is our collective reverence that gives them their power, embedding them with a resonance that endures through time.
Bailey Barker’s exploration of civilisation through its symbols and archetypes finds connections between different societies across the ages. They capture our shared desire to reach beyond the everyday and connect to something greater than ourselves