Beyond Meaning: John Payiavlas & Danny Sofa

Meaning is everywhere but it does not exist in itself.  We create it in everything we do, intentional or otherwise.  It is perhaps inescapable, but can we actively reject it? What is it like to refuse your mind the comfort of meaning?  How long can we exist in this space of ultimate freedom? What does this space look like? What are the implications of existing in this space? The pieces displayed here are exercises in all these questions.  They attempt to live in this space.  It is a space of constant motion and spontaneity.  When the mind enters it, and strips itself of all constructs, narratives, and linear logic, the effects are profound. We have come into contact with truer versions of ourselves in this state of free association.  Each piece attempts to shake out the urge to build meaning and propel the viewer beyond into a challenging (but rewarding) space where the mind urges and the body acts simultaneously.  That space where there is nothing to cling to and nothing to lean one’s mind on. Thoughts exist for themselves and appear and disappear like flashes of light.  They can be thrown away, cut up, stitched, folded, melted, and bent into infinite possibilities; all of which possess the closest thing to truth left unburdened by the qualifications of meaning.  We invite the viewer to experience these works with the same dedication to the “beyond-meaning” with which they were created. Avoid the temptation to understand, quantify, and confine. Reach for something further instead.